The Long Meaningful Ramble 3: Child of the Vortex
by reddwarfaddict
Summary: In preparation for his wedding and second child, the Doctor has gone domestic...but when he suddenly finds himself fighting to exist Rose, Jack, UNIT, Torchwood, Sarah Jane, plus more must bond together to save his lives. TenRose. Major DoctorWhump.
1. Ring, Ring!

**A/N:** Disclaimer: I'm actually starting to think RTD DOES read our fanfiction now...for anyone whose seen the summary for last episode of Series 3, it's like...OMG THAT'S SO FANFICCY! But I have no proof as of yet. S'up to da big man RTD if your readin'. Bro.

I'm back! With a lot of fluff and no _sturdy _plot as such right now, I'm just as unprepared as ever. But the good thing about this apparent 'sequel' is that you don't actually have to have read the prequels, coz everyone forgotten everything anyway due to time loops and timestreams and...etc...

Anyway, you'll probably notice me post a load over the coming week or so. I went writing mad, I tell ye. I've written four chapters of this all heavily edited to make some kind of actual sense and a lump of the other one I'm gonna post in a sec. I'm _gonna _write the penguin one, I WILL write the penguin one. I have a couple of oneshots somewhere in my files and this other one where the Doctor's a cowboy...see? Mental.

Enjoy the lovely long first chapter!

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Chapter 1 – Ring, Ring...  


The Doctor was breathing as shallowly as he could.

He could hear not the tiniest of footsteps or rustling of clothes from where he stood pressed against the wall in an attempt to stay out of sight, clutching a sleek black gun in both hands making him not dissimilar to James Bond in bodily appearance. The corridor seemed empty, but you could never be too overconfident. He held his breath for a few seconds, daring to reach out a converse clad foot to the two-way junction in the corridor.

Thankfully his shoe made no sound as it hit the hard metal flooring, so he dared to take another tentative step forward – at all times making sure he wasn't being followed. Still pressed against the wall, he reached the junction and dared to poke half his head around the corner, his gun handle sweaty in his palm.

Clear. Or maybe his enemy was giving him some false confidence to work with and trip up on? He had to be careful.

He checked all routes again, just to be certain that there was no one lurking in the shadows. Satisfied, he slipped out into the corridor still shuffling like a ninja, pressed to the wall with his gun held confidently.

He was so nearly there – just a few more steps and he would be at the base. He was moving again – slowly but purposefully. But then he caught something in the corner of his peripheral vision – a flash of a moving figure? He immediately whirled around to his left, gun held up as he squeezed the trigger only once, his target running towards him like a speeding train.

He hit Rory Alexis Sigma-Tyler square in the chest with a deadly aim, whooping with joy as his toy gun blipped into life with an electronic ray gun sound. His son cried out in a laugh, falling to the TARDIS floor.

"Gotcha!" the Doctor yelled, dropping the toy gun and rushing to the boy squirming on the floor, still laughing with his own gun clutched in his palm. As the Doctor neared, Rory suddenly straightened up into sitting position, holding his gun up to his dad.

"Body armour!" he claimed, before he fired, the electronic toy gun immediately surging into life.

"Agh! You got me!" the Doctor declared, clutching at his chest and staggering backwards. "How…could I have…been fooled…by a boy?" he wheezed out, falling lightly to the TARDIS corridor grating with a huge grin in place.

"'Cause my daddy's the Doctor and WE ROCK!" Rory yelled, rushing over to his father and poking him gently in the ribs. "Man down! Man down! Get up, soldier!"

"I'm sorry sir…" The Doctor eased open his eyes, looking up at the child standing above him. "Can't…go…on…"

Rose Tyler casually wandered by, smiling at the death scene taking place infront of her as she made her way to bed.

"Only…the kiss…of Rose Tyler…can save me…"

Rose rolled her eyes dramatically with a smile, turning swiftly on her heel to go back to the Doctor on the corridor floor. He grinned childishly up at her, anticipating her kiss as she slowly leant down…before it was quickly wiped off his face as she kicked him sharply in his side.

He yelped in surprise. "Maybe you misheard me," he said, feigning sincerity, "I said _kiss, _not _kick…"_

Rose kicked him again.

"I should just shut up shouldn't I?"

She openly laughed, nodding in answer to him as she offered a hand up. He didn't take it, knowing she shouldn't be straining herself in her current state. Instead, he used his son to get to his feet, before swiftly disarming him much to Rory's dismay.

"You comin' to bed tonight?" Rose asked hopefully, unintentionally putting a hand on her swollen womb where the baby Time Lord girl was growing and rubbing it soothingly. The Doctor hesitated for a moment – he didn't _feel_ tired. He was never tired, not anymore. He'd spent most of the past month and a bit tweaking the TARDIS during the night, only really sometimes going to bed to keep Rose company.

But how could he deny that face?

"All right," he finally answered, Rose looking more than delighted. "Lemme just put the sergeant to bed first."

"Captain!" Rory insisted suddenly as the Doctor grabbed him playfully around his waist and lifted him squirming off of the ground.

"Ay, ay, cap'n," the Doctor said as Rose kissed Rory motherly on the cheek. "Say night-night to mummy."

"Night-night mummy," Rory repeated obediently, still squirming.

The Doctor held him tight. "It's way, way, waaaaaaay past your bedtime."

"Don't be stoopid daddy! Captains don't go to bed!"

"They do when they still refuse to eat broccoli," the Doctor countered, hoisting the boy up onto his shoulder and marching off down the corridor with him still kicking and waving his arms frantically.

The Doctor finally dropped him onto the single bed in his room, helping him get changed into pyjamas.

"Mouth open," the Doctor commanded and Rory obliged, dropping his jaw to as wide as he could and sticking out his tongue. The Doctor ran a finger over his teeth, grunting approval. "Wow, perfect set of chompers here." He withdrew his finger, though Rory didn't close his jaw.

The Doctor reached out his hand again and pushed Rory's jaw together, before it just fell as soon as he took away the support. Rory giggled at him, reaching up and pressing on his dad's nose twice.

"Beep, beep," the Doctor said, before straightening up and ruffling his son's wild practically golden hair, matching his shining golden eyes of the Time Vortex that shone that way only when Rory was inside the TARDIS. "Go brush your teeth, and when I get back I wanna see you in that bed fast asleep!"

He nodded, not even closing his mouth as he ran with arms flailing into the bathroom.

The Doctor slipped back out of the room and back to his and Rose's bedroom, hands in pockets. When he arrived Rose was just stepping out the bathroom in maternity pyjamas, smiling at the sight of him.

"He asleep?"

"Will be in a minute," the Doctor replied, searching for some fresh pyjamas in the bottom drawer. "You alright?"

"Yeah, fine." She climbed under the familiar snug double duvet, holding her womb at all times. She was around four months along now, although it had only been two months since they'd left the Powell Estate, due to accelerated growth rates again. They were supposed to be going back to Earth soon for their wedding – the last two months they'd spent like they always had, out among the stars.

Her baby girl had been threatened seven times, Rory had been held at gunpoint nine times, her baby girl had saved her life three times and the Doctor had talked their way out of fifteen messy possible deaths – but she had loved every second of it. They were like they had always been, a family fighting for Universal justice.

She was glad they had hardly changed from how they used to be. She'd feared that once Rory had been born and they were both finally settled back into the TARDIS together at one hundred percent health (which hadn't been for _quite _a while…) then they would become appallingly domestic and even the _idea _of time travel would be preposterous.

But here they were still fighting the fight, risking their lives day after day and frankly, it was their version of a job – except you didn't get paid and you didn't have to worry about impressing your boss enough to get a promotion and become store manager.

"If you're sure." The Doctor disappeared into the en-suite bathroom on the bedroom. "Anyway, it'll soon all be over. Then we don't have to have anymore. I think you're mother's gonna make sure of that…"

"How?"

"She was talking about efficiency of Vasectomies when she phoned earlier…"

Rose let out a snort of laughter. "At least she wasn't talkin' about a Hysterectomy. That would just be wrong."

"Ayee or oo," he replied, toothbrush whizzing around his mouth.

"What?" Rose asked, turning over so she was facing the open bathroom doorway.

The Doctor suddenly appeared again, now dressed in pyjama trousers with his chest left bare.

"I said, 'maybe for you'," he repeated. "I mean, me, the last Time Lord in the Universe…seedless? That's surely unethical." Rose snorted with laughter.

"Are we goin' back tomorrow?" she asked gently as he started towards to door again.

He nodded, though didn't stop walking. "I think your mother's gonna blow a fuse if we don't go back soon," he was almost at screaming point now, long since out of the room. "She's having her own kittens over your baby, I swear!" he yelled from halfway down the corridor. "Two seconds!" He glanced toward his destination – Rory's room. The light was still on. "I'm coming!" he called out in a singsong voice, stopping to a halt outside the bedroom door.

Immediately there was the sound of footsteps on carpet rushing across the room, and then squeaking as Rory hit the bedsprings and climbed under the duvet. The Doctor rolled his eyes, pushing down on the door handle and entering the room.

He crossed the floor to the bed in which Rory had his eyes tightly shut, curled up into a ball under the covers. The Doctor smiled as he sat on the bed beside him, brushing back his hair fondly. He planted a kiss on the boy's head; taking in the moment before he got to his feet and silently tucked him in.

The TARDIS dimmed the lights as the Doctor shut the door quietly behind him, crossing the corridor back into his and Rose's room.

He checked her over with his doctor's eyes, sitting up waiting for him in the bed. He shot her a smile as he climbed under the cover next to her, sliding his left arm under her neck whilst the other cupped her cheek and turned her head to him with his facial features set in concern.

"You sure you're alright?"

She smiled back reassuringly. "Nothin' a foot massage and a weddin' couldn't cure."

"Well then, the Doctor just cured you," he said with a grin, lowering her gently down onto the soft pillows. "But you're tired. Get some sleep."

"Doctor's orders, eh?"

"Doctor's screams of outrage if you don't close your eyes," he said, lifting two fingers and tracing them down over her eyelids to close them as the TARDIS automatically dimmed the lights around them. "Need all the energy you've got to confront your mother tomorrow. She hasn't phone for ten _whole _hours – I think she's died."

Rose snorted in laughter, helplessly seduced by feeling of his thumb tracing her cheekbones – finally able to switch off into a peaceful sleep.

As soon as she dropped off, the Doctor allowed himself to relax into the double bed, closing his eyes as he finished temporarily turn off his brain as per usual when he slept with Rose now. He slept.

_Ring, ring._

No. He was imagining it, surely?

_Ring, ring._

No, it wasn't real. It couldn't be real. He was in a dream. He had to be.

Rose begged to differ, though.

"Wassat?" she slurred, turning over and taking his arm to put it over her ear to try and block the shrill sound of the constant high pitched ringing of the TARDIS phone.

_Ring, ring._

"By Rassilon, that's just bad luck…" he murmured back, pressing his arm against her ear obediently. "Go back to sleep. It'll stop soon."

_Ring, ring._

_Ring, ring._

_Ring, ring._

_Ring, ring._

_Ring, ring._

"Did you put the answer phone on?" Rose asked, already knowing the answer.

"Oh fiddlesticks." He groaned out loud, turning up to face the ceiling. "Hello?"

"_Doctor!" _Jackie's high spirited voice immediately rang through the room, severely unwanted. _"I was just thinking whe-"_

"You just called the TARDIS. I'm afraid the Doctor and Rose are not in at the moment. We do not wish you to leave a message either, so just bugger off."

The TARDIS' dead tone followed.

"Go back to sleep Rose," the Doctor commanded, ignoring her stare. "Sleep. Suh-leeep!"

"You're unbelievable," Rose muttered back, closing her eyes for the second time that night. Twenty seconds passed, and their immense relief the TARDIS was not dialled again.

They started to sleep…

"Daddy…mummy…!" a sudden whine of a voice came from outside the doorway to the bedroom, before the door was bashed down altogether to reveal Rory standing there looking nothing short of terrified with tears running down his cheeks.

"Can't get a moments _peace _in this place!" the Doctor cried out, thoroughly annoyed as Rose groaned again, ignoring this new predicament. The Doctor struggled to sit up without disturbing Rose, eyeing the child standing precariously in the doorway. "C'mere," he said, and Rory abided, moving slowly towards his parents' bed before climbing onto the duvet and crawling over to the Doctor.

"She was…she was standing there daddy…" he gasped between sobs of terror, "she's…she's always there…"

"Tell me in the morning Rory," the Doctor cut over the top of him, pulling him under the cover of the double bed between him and Rose. "I'm sure it's an interesting nightmare but mummy really needs to sleep, alright?" he said, though not unkindly as he brushed back his son's hair from his moist eyes. "Smile, now. Can't have my son crying, can we?"

Rory forced a smile to his father, clinging onto him tight as he too closed his eyes to sleep.

Finally, the Doctor was able to join them both.

Although, he was getting up in an hour.

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**A/N: **Please review! I'll reply to 'em all! ...Really. I think. Maybe. (Ducks) As always, no reviews - no story! Then I become a social reject, have to turn to alcohol and drugs in order to live my life, a school drop out, lose the will to live and spend the last few years of my short life in a mental home.

Your choice!


	2. A Minty Flavoured Discomfort Part One

**A/N: **(Sings the fluffland theme tune) Fluff _everywhere I turn! _At least,f or the first few chapters. I suppose I'm giving you compensation really, for what I'm gonna do. And thankies to first reviews, I LOVE YOU GUYS! Sorry I didn't reply to them, but as I reasoned, would you rather have the chapter or me babbling at you?

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Chapter 2 - A Minty Flavoured Discomfort

The Doctor felt the refreshing rush of westerly wind hit him gently in the face and ruffle his hair as he stepped carefully out of the TARDIS doors and onto the surprisingly smooth concrete of the Powell Estate, the late February midday Sun shining bright in the sky. It was just over a month until they had planned to book in their wedding.

They hadn't yet decided on a Honeymoon – infact they hadn't even decided whether the entire event would take place in London in 2007 or the Planet Londonis in 2700 yet, but the Doctor had the slightest of slight feelings that if Jackie Tyler got in a word edgeways it was absolutely guaranteed to be the former.

He looked around the estate, taking in the surroundings to make sure he hadn't accidentally materialised on a balcony. It wouldn't be the first time. As his eyes scanned the horizon he suddenly caught a streak of purple in the otherwise bland crowd of buildings and half broken cars. He blinked slightly, wondering if something had just seemingly caught the light. He looked again intently – it was gone.

Shrugging it off, he turned back around to the TARDIS doors, offering a helping hand to his four-month pregnant fiancée edging out the door behind him. Police box doors were _not, _he decided, designed for the mobility of pregnant women.

"Alright?" he asked cheerily as his son ducked under Rose's legs and bolted out into the street, screaming kamikaze as he tore over to the play park on the edge of the estate on natural child's instinct.

Rose nodded to him with a smile, taking his hand as she stepped down from the slightly raised platform of the TARDIS and onto solid Earth ground. The Doctor locked the TARDIS door behind her, slipping the key back in his pocket as he glanced back over to the direction to which the boy had disappeared.

"Rory! Heel!" he called to his constantly hyperactive son, who had already managed to hang upside-down on the monkey bars and make…well…monkey noises. Rose was laughing as the Doctor temporarily let her go, jogging swiftly over to the boy.

Rory giggled as the Doctor neared, stopping just infront of him and slowly turning his head around to try and get Rory up straight in his vision. Rose watched from a distance as he feigned falling over with the impossible task, Rory's child laughter prominent through the ever constant loud background noise of running cars on every single road, people chattering in the high street in distinctive London accents and the booming music of a nearby disco, already in full swing.

The Doctor got up from the sanded floor below the monkey bars, brushing himself off. He launched out both hands and grabbed Rory under the arms; pulling him off of the monkey bars and easing him gently back onto the floor on both feet.

Rory sulked.

"I wanted to play," he moaned in a loud voice, tugging on the Doctor's coat as the both of them started to walk back to the still laughing Rose.

"Tell you what," the Doctor started, swiftly sweeping him up off of the floor as he reached Rose. "I promise you we'll play in that park before we leave. Fair?"

Rory brightened immediately. "When?" he asked impatiently as the three of them started to walk to Jackie's flat.

"Soon."

"Wheeeeeeeeen?"

"Soon..."

"Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeen?"

"Soon!"

"Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeen?"

The Doctor sighed. "Tomorrow!"

"When tomorrow?"

The Doctor stifled another sigh, glancing in Rose direction. She was still laughing.

"You know the problem with your son?" she asked vaguely as they reached Jackie Tyler's door, the Doctor ringing the doorbell.

"What?"

"He's exactly like you."

The door swung open.

* * *

"You aliens don't 'ave birth certificates?" 

"Yeah…but it wouldn't exactly be valid _here, _would it?" the Doctor countered his soon to be mother-in-law as she dropped down in the one-person sofa across from him and Rose.

"And you've never thought to get one?"

He shook his head, lips pursed. "Why would I need one?" he dug into his trenchcoat pocket from where it was draped over the back of the sofa, flashing her the psychic paper which was now displaying some kind of ID. "Got everything I need with this little thing."

"Well, if you want Rory to be humanly educated he's gonna need to exist," Jackie said, taking a sip of hot refreshing tea.

He shrugged, nonchalant on the subject. "Bleh," was all he had to say on the matter. Jackie was increasingly finding him an inappropriate parent. He picked up the newspaper Jackie still had open on the coffee table, slipping on his glasses and flicking through it absently without actually appearing as though he had seen a single word of it.

"Stupid humans," he muttered, "Today's top story: Cat Stuck In Tree."

He flicked instantly to the crossword, rubbing the bridge of his nose as he scanned over the clues, his free right hand taking a pen from the side.

It was 11:00pm in the Tyler household and with the big day just over a month away in real time, Jackie Tyler was becoming no less than frantic about everything to do with it and Rory. Tomorrow Rose was going for a dress fitting and the Doctor would be left in charge of the flat and Rory – never a good combination.

"Hmm, five letters: A minty flavoured discomfort." He tapped his pen absently on his chin, thinking hard. Rose could only shrug, her mother with her. "Minty, minty, mint…mint…"

"Daddy…Mummy…" came a small voice suddenly from the doorway and the three adults turned to see the small form of Rory Alexis Sigma-Tyler dressed in pyjamas with his hair all over the place hovering nervously. Jackie glanced pointedly at the clock, before walking over to him and kneeling down to his height in confrontation.

"Rory sweetheart, you're supposed to be in bed," she said gently, rubbing his arm. He seemed dishevelled, pulling away from her and rubbing his eyes, fighting the tears.

"I tried," he said instantly, looking back over at his father, the want to go to him prominent in his pleading eyes. "I don't like it."

The Doctor pushed himself up a little in his seat, tossing the paper back onto the table along with his pen and glasses, beckoning his child to him. Rory al-but ran to him, jumping onto the sofa and crawling instantly to the Doctor, hugging his middle tightly in desperation. The Doctor hugged him back, letting him silently whimper into him for a few moments before finally pulling him away, staring down at those two big sad eyes.

"Another nightmare?"

He nodded, lower lip trembling.

"Same as last night?"

He nodded again – then promptly burst into tears. He heard Rose move behind him as she bounded forward to her tearful son, making to pick him up. The Doctor shook his head rapidly. Heavy weights and pregnant woman – when _would _she learn? Instead, he gestured for her to sit infront of him on the sofa, and then gave him to her. Rory turned, clinging onto his mother as Jackie took her seat opposite the two parents, keeping silent.

"Tell me about it."

Rory swallowed, fists tightening on his mother's maternity dress as he looked up to his dad.

"S-she's there…" he whispered as Rose held him supportively. "She st-stands there…sh-she keeps…s-saying she wants m-me to t-tell…you s-something daddy…then…then she st-starts screaming…a-at me…and I c-can't move…."

"Do you know what she wants to tell me?"

He shook his head. The Doctor glanced at Rose, who just shrugged unhelpfully.

"Can you tell me what she looks like?" he asked. Rory nodded, sniffing back more tears.

"Sh-she's got p-pretty…blonde h-hair…and…and she w-wears this white…d-dress."

"How old would you say she was?"

"Like m-me."

Rose lifted her eyes to the Doctor's own shining brown ones, unable to read what he was thinking through them as he stared down at Rory, scratching behind his ear in contemplation. After a few seconds of only Rory's stifled sobs, the Doctor finally spoke out loud:

"Give me a smile," he said, brushing away his son's tears delicately. "The only thing that makes a Time Lord cry is an onion. Girls are there to capture you with their smiles and then run away with your hearts. Got that?"

Rory nodded, reaching out a small hand and pressing it to the Doctor's chest where he could feel the strong steady beat of one heart prominent, the other beating dully in the background. Rory moved his hand to the other side, the dull beating becoming stronger as the other became softer.

"You got two boom-booms," Rory said factually, his tears now entirely at an end. "Boom-boom, boom-boom. I got one boom-boom," he stated, resting his hand on his own chest. "Why?"

The Doctor smiled gently back at him. "You'll get another heart like me soon Rory, when you're older."

"But I want it nooooow," Rory whined loudly, looking a little more than dejected.

The Doctor pouted his lips, miming the syllable of his next word as Jackie and Rose both smiled at the child's words.

"When your older."

"But I want it NOW!" Rory repeated firmly, folding his arms determinedly. "NOW!"

"Well…how about if you go to sleep now, maybe you'll wake up with another one in the morning?"

"I don't wanna go bed," Rory instantly said, squirming against his dad's grip as the Doctor made to pick him up to carry him back into the spare room. "She'll be there."

The Doctor paused in mid-movement, letting his hands fall to his sides as he considered.

"Okay then," he started, dropping back down on the sofa. "How about you stay up with me, mummy and granny for a bit?"

Rory nodded quickly.  
"Can I watch gory horror movies?" Rory asked in his cute child's voice, the words so innocent on his tongue.

"No," Jackie said instantly, the extremely protective grandparent side coming out of her.

"Daddy lets me watch gory horror movies."

"No he doesn't," the Doctor said instantly.

Jackie glared at him, lips pursed. Oh, he was going down, fast.

"You're too young," was Jackie's final word on the matter.

"Grown-ups get all the good stuff," Rory grumbled. "Like two hearts and gory horror movies."

"Only your daddy has two hearts."

"My daddy's the best!" Rory declared loudly, "when I grow up I'm gonna be just like him."

"Oh, you don't want my neuroses," the Doctor said, taking the blanket hung loosely over the back of the sofa and draping it carefully over the boy. "Gotta swim through them in my mind."

"Noo-what?" Rory asked tiredly, slumping against his mum and closing his eyes – already. "I love you daddy. I love you mummy. I love you gran…" – he yawned loudly – "…ny…"

They only had to wait a few seconds before Rory was back asleep again in Rose's arms. She readjusted him slightly so she was a little more comfortable, before finally looking up at the Doctor.

He knew her question before it had even passed her lips.

"What d'you make of the nightmare?"

The Doctor scratched behind his ear again, clicking his tongue as he struggled to think. "We need to keep an eye on it. A metaphorical eye, of course…" he added hastily, dragging a hand across his hair and making it all stand on end. "Probably just wild imagination, but if this apparition is really demanding I speak to her then it could be something a tad more real. I suppose we shouldn't really worry though. It's affecting him a lot more emotionally than anything normally would. Could be some kind of emotional telepathy along the brainwaves – or, like I said, he's creating the dream himself."

"…You like using technical words, don't you?"

He nodded, grinning. "Yup," he answered, popping the 'p'. He spent a few more seconds in his own confined Doctor world…before he looked at Rose, surveying her face.

"You're tired," he determined, and he wasn't wrong. "Bed for you. Long day tomorrow. I'll do another scan, see how she's coming, sound good?"

She nodded, carefully manoeuvring her way off of the sofa trying not to disturb Rory in his slumber. Jackie was getting up too.

"I'll loiter here for tonight," he said, and then nodded to Rory. "Keep an eye on him."

Rose nodded, giving the Doctor a goodnight hug and kiss before also giving Rory a kiss on the forehead – then she disappeared into her room, Jackie disappearing into her own.

The Doctor turned back to the sleeping child, sighing gently as he knelt down next to him and lifted him ever so slightly to put a cushion under his head as a replacement for Rose's lap. Without the TARDIS – Jackie had gonna as far as to take the keys and hide them – and a sleeping boy on the sofa he could do nothing to entertain himself except the crossword on the table.

He dropped down onto the sofa, taking the newspaper in hand as the clock ticked quietly away.

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**A/N: **Y'know I said about the chapter or me babbling at you? I think I'm just abbling at you either way. I'm surprised you guys clung on for so long :D It's plotless crap, really. 


	3. Chercohlate Cake

**A/N: **Insane? Me? Never!

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Chapter 3 - Chercohlate Cake

"I need some shoppin' done, the kitchen sick plug is clogged up, I want a new shelf put up in my livin' room, the hall radiator's bust, so I want you to fix that please, and it would be nice if you'd do some cleanin' around 'ere. The cutlery is in the left 'and drawer in the kitchen and plates and bowls are in the bottom right cupboard. The first aid kit is in the left cupboard. The key's on the side along with some money so please _lock _the door when you go out, and don't buy rubbish stacks of sweets or any kind of attractive lookin' glowin' object with it_ please_. All numbers are in the phone book, Rose's mobile is speed dial one and the ambulance is 999. We'll be back in a couple of hours and please try not to destroy the 'ouse. Got that?"

The Doctor stared at Jackie Tyler without even a blink, a huge, reassuring smile set on his face with his hands clasped behind his back. He nodded slowly.

"Good," Jackie finished, moving to shut the door of the flat before suddenly pausing. "Oh and err…look after your son."

It clicked shut.

The Doctor turned his head to look at Rory, who returned the look with just as much of an innocent smile. There was a brief, few second pause, before the Doctor asked the question:

"Did you catch a word of that?"

Rory rapidly shook his head.

"Wasn't even listening," Rory admitted ruefully.

"You and me both," the Doctor said, springing up and down on his heels in consideration. "Think of anything fun yet safe and educational to do?"

Another long, dreary pause.

"No," Rory answered straight.

"Me either."

Another pause.

"Daddy, granny's boring."

The Doctor paused a little longer, his mind halfway through a possibility. All of a sudden he clicked, and it was though there was a small light bulb hovering brightly above his head.

"Oh no, no, no, no, no…she's not boring at all," the Doctor answered suddenly, dashing from the living room and tearing into the kitchen, bounding over to the bookshelf with all the energy of a prancing deer on a trampoline. He stopped, rummaging through the books presented on the shelf about gardening and cooking; despite the fact Jackie couldn't cook and didn't even have a garden.

He took out a recipe book, laying it down on the floor as he squatted down to scan. Rory joined him, trying to read what he was looking intently at although Rory couldn't fully read yet and he was reading upside-down.

"Eee…kak…etah…" Rory started, but the Doctor shook his head rapidly.

"You're reading it back to front," he pointed out, turning the book around so it was upright in Rory's vision. "If the word's upside-down then you read it back-to-front, because it's been reversed," he explained and Rory nodded, understanding as he stared at the book now set down infront of him, the came two words as before peering back at him, though now they were upright.

"Koh…co…late…cake," he said with a grin, looking up at his dad for praise but to his utter dismay he still hadn't succeeded.

"Good!" the Doctor said, ruffling his hair. Rory indignantly patted his fluffy blondy-brown tufts down again, glaring at his dad. "But when you have 'c' and 'h' together, you don't take out the 'h', you make it into a sound like 'cher', as in, 'cher-urch'. Now say it again."

Rory looked back down at the word etched on the page once more, frowning in concentration for his task. "Cher-coh-late cake."

The Doctor then realised why preschools started with the simple things like 'cat'. He smiled at Rory, a gesture of congratulations.

"Close enough!" he grinned as Rory beamed pride. "Chocolate cake, we'll bake it for mummy and granny. Sound fun?"

"Do we _have_ to share it with granny?" Rory asked as the Doctor got onto his feet, setting the recipe book down onto the kitchen worktop and scanning the ingredients.

"'Fraid so," the Doctor replied as Rory tried to see the book by jumping up and down, though the kitchen cupboards were too tall. "Though your granny isn't that bad Rory, once you get past the scales she's a nice person at heart." He looked down at the child seriously. "Don't grow up without respect, she's done a lot for me and your mummy and she doesn't even know the half of it."

Rory sniffed, looking guiltily up at the Doctor through shameful eyes. "I'm sorry daddy," he said meekly,

"Don't be. Now…have you got any idea how to work a Earth 2007 human cooker?"

* * *

Rose felt like she'd been in and out of around one thousand dresses now, but everytime she said she liked one her mum would screech that it was 'too bulky' or 'too defining' or 'just plain bloody ugly'.

"Mum, really, this one's fine." Rose heaved a loud sigh after her mum had given her approval on a dress; despite the fact Rose thought she looked like a pillow. She wanted to be back home with the Doctor again.

"You don't like it though," Jackie said, hitting the chord of truth. Rose sighed, rolling her eyes.

"No, no, it's fine."

"You're lyin', Rose," she said, and then took in Rose's tired facial expression. "I know this is tirin', but take it from me – if you don't get the perfect dress you'll regret it for the rest of ya life. You want to look pretty for the Doctor, don't you?"

Rose nodded shortly. "I'm so tired," she said, yawning loudly. "And hungry," she added for brownie points, helped on by the slight craving for the taste of chocolate. She rested a hand on her womb intentionally to make a silent point to her mum.

Jackie looked slightly disappointed, but knew the perils of being pregnant. She sighed, gesturing to the changing booth one last time.

"Get changed then we'll 'ead on back 'ome."

* * *

"Daddy, should the cake be doing that?"

Rory was peering into the cooker in which the chocolate cake sat, looking surprisingly good for a first attempt. The Doctor let go of the mixing bowl and instead knelt down next to Rory, peering into the clear section of the cooker to the cake within. It was shaking like jelly.

"Oh, umm…" the Doctor started, lowering his eyebrows and stroking an imaginary beard. "I…don't think so."

"Should we take it out?"

"…Nah. Just let it carry on. …Better use up the rest of that cake mix though on another," he said, picking up the mixing bowl and lowering it to Rory for him to look in. "Reckon that's enough chef?"

Rory grinned up at him, diving his hand into the bowl and scooping up some of the mix. Before the Doctor even had a chance to speak Rory his pressed his hand to his dad, smearing the cake mix on his hand all over his face.

The Doctor opened his eyes to look at the child as he withdrew his hand, two white and brown eyes prominent through the cake mix.

"You're really getting used to this 'rubbing in' method," the Doctor commented, wiping his mouth free of the mix so he could speak. "Though, you don't generally tend to rub it into…" – he scooped up some more – "…people's…" – splat – "…faces."

Rory scooped up some more in return, and without a word, flung it straight at him – then ducked.

It hit the Doctor's jacket sleeve in the majority, the rest of it totally missing and instead hitting the otherwise immaculately clean wooden cupboard behind him.

"Oh, you're gonna pay for that…" the Doctor said with a sparkle in his eyes, scooping up some more mix and throwing it with impeccable accuracy towards Rory's chest. With another splat, Rory was hit.

"This means WAR!" Rory yelled, running forward towards the mixing bowl and grabbing it tightly, wrenching it out of the Doctor's hands. The Doctor instantly dived for the bowl, but instead landed with crash into and already open cupboard.

Saucepans and pots crashed down onto his head as another lump of mix flew towards his head. He pulled himself out from under the wreckage and army rolled to the side, narrowly missing the mix's aim, which hit another cupboard and slid down quietly to the floor.

"CHARGE!" the Doctor yelled, grabbing a large based saucepan and holding it infront of him for mild protection as he shimmied across the floor towards the boy. His hand flew out for the bowl and managed to catch a side, pulling it towards him and scooping for a handful. It flew towards Rory and caught him on his right shoulder where he staggered with the impact. The Doctor launched forward and caught him in his arms, putting a hand on the back of his head as he fell to the floor. Rory was laughing.

The Doctor took another handful of cake mix and raised it above Rory, contemplating.

"Give up yet?" he asked through a mouthful of cake mix, weighing the lump of cake mix in his hand experimentally.

Rory nodded quickly, his deep brown eyes staring up at his father's own two through a face of mix. The Doctor grinned, falling sideways off his son and hitting the mix stained kitchen floor on his back, laughing too much to notice what Rory was doing now.

"ATTAAAACK!" Rory shouted, taking two handfuls of the mix and running up to his father laying on the floor, throwing them at his chest.

"Hey!" the Doctor exclaimed, trying to shield himself. "This isn't fair!"

Rory wasn't paying attention however. He took one last scoop and climbed onto his dad's chest, staring down at his face.

"I give up," the Doctor said instantly. But Rory wasn't listening to him. He raised the handful as the Doctor's eyes widened, bringing it straight down and shoving it all into his open gob.

"Eat cake mix!" Rory declared as the Doctor struggle to swallow.

"Mmm! That tastes good!" the Doctor said after his mouth had cleared, holding onto Rory as they both sat up, glancing around the kitchen.

They became silent for a second.

"Oh dear," the Doctor managed to say.


	4. Chocolate Doctor

**A/N: **Aww, Doctor waving his domestics flag :D Calm before the storm, as the saying goes...

* * *

Chapter 4 – Chocolate Doctor

Twenty minutes later mother and daughter were standing, or rather, hovering outside the front door to their flat, wondering slightly what they might find inside. Crashed alien spaceship? Their two dead bodies on the floor? Jackie gulped, resting a hand on the door handle and pushing it down gently, swinging it open.

She waited a few seconds, just pausing to see if someone was going to jump out of the shadows and shoot her through the head with a laser gun before she even had a chance to blink.

Rose rolled her eyes, stepping first into the flat and along the hall to the living room, calling out for the Doctor and Rory. She distinctly heard the sound of rushing feet as she stepped into the room, moving towards the sofa. There was something on the table she realised as she neared…looked like…

"Wow!" Rose exclaimed, rushing forward towards the chocolate cake accompanied with a piece of folded paper. She took the slip opening it out to reveal messy lopsided writing of a child, though obviously guided handwriting.

**Mummy and granny,**

**Sorry.**

**Love Rory and daddy xxx **the letter read.

"Oh God," Rose whispered, looking up as Jackie crossed the living room towards the closed kitchen door, having checked all the other rooms for damaged.

"This is amazin'!" she was saying, absolutely ecstatic. "The 'ouse isn't destroyed! Not a hair out of place!"

She rested a hand on the door handle, pushing down to check the very last room for signs of destruction – the kitchen. The door swung open cleanly as Jackie stuck her head inside, peering into the room.

And then she screamed.

"DOCTOR!" she hollered as Rose walked over to the kitchen and looking inside with her. Her hand flew instantly to her mouth, accompanying a rather loud giggle.

The walls were smeared into chocolate and cake mix, used dishes were scattered all over the worktops and the sink was stacked with even more. Rose swore something had exploded inside the oven and there had been a half-hearted attempt to scrape some of the hardened mix off of one of the worktops.

"WHERE IS HE?! I'LL 'AVE 'IM! DOCTOR!!! COME OUT RIGHT NOW!!!"

There was only silence. Rose turned back into the living room, moving over to the sofa and dropping down, cutting herself a slice of cake.

"He's not here…!" Jackie sounded almost psychotic, her voice uneven and jumpy. "I bet he's back in that bleedin' box of his!"

"Mum!" Rose said, gulping down some of the sweet chocolate cake. Man that tasted good. "Ever considered it might have been _Rory?"_

She gasped, horrified at even the idea of it. "Not sweet little Rory!"

Rose rolled her eyes, knowing little Rory was _definitely _not as innocent as he seemed. He had proven that long ago.

"Doctor!" Jackie called again, her voice now light and friendly as she marched over to the front door. "Where are yooou?"

The door clicked quietly shut.

"You can come out now," Rose said aloud, before taking another chunk of the cake. There was another brief pause, before something wet a delicate suddenly kissed the back of her neck. She turned to see the Doctor grinning manically at her, cake mix smeared all over his face, hair and clothes. Rory was just the same – both looking positively over the moon.

Rose smiling gently at the Doctor, pulling his face closer and licking off some of the mix.

"Mmm, tasty!" she complimented.

"As it should be," the Doctor replied with a grin, launching over the sofa to stand infront of her. "I err…won't touch anything, might get it covered in mix."

"Thank you for this," she said with a smile, getting onto her feet to hug Rory and the Doctor. "And just to say…" she added, looking up at the Doctor, "I'll never forget you."

"Huh?"

"DOCTOR!!!"

The Doctor's eyes widened as he heard the shrill voice cut the air, two syllables that meant death. He instantly ducked instinctively, though evidently not quick enough.

Jackie Tyler marched into the room, her expression set into one of a whirlwind of fury. She strutted over to him, arm flying out to grab his collar and wrench him roughly forward.

"Doctor you alien…" she struggled not to swear, "…man, you!" she yelled, shaking him madly. "You can't worm ya way outta this one! You 'ave _completely _destroyed my…"

"It was me, granny," suddenly said a small voice from over by the sofa. Jackie's head instantly wheeled around to the child standing next to his mother, covered in cake mix but looking guilty. "I did it."

Jackie kept holding onto the Doctor, but knelt down infront of the child.

"Now, I don't think that's true, is it? Don't repeat what your daddy told you to say."

"No, he said he'd take the blame but it was me. I'm sorry granny," his voice was trembling, on the verge of tears. The Doctor recognised that look. That was the 'Rose Look'. The same look which bought her rare and expensive diamonds on far off worlds, the same look that made him sit through an entire dance recital without even blinking, the same look that made him take her home to her mother, the same look that she gave him at times of sleep…

Jackie's hand let go of the Doctor's collar and he al-but bolted over to Rose, seeking a shield. She rested both hands on Rory's shoulders as he bit his lip. He put his arms around her and hugged her tight.

"I'm really sorry granny…" he said again.

"Oh it's okay Rory, ya didn't know what you were doin'." She looked up, glaring at the Doctor. "But I would've thought a _responsible _parent would've stopped you…!"

The Doctor gestured vaguely at himself; still covered in cake mix with his expression set into one of pure disbelief at her words.

"D'you think I covered myself in cake mix for fun?"

Rose opened her mouth to answer this question, but the Doctor quickly cut over the top of her before she had a chance to speak the words.

"It got a little out of hand," he finished.

"Well it's a nice gesture, both of you," Jackie admitted. The Doctor had to replay the sentence in his mind five times to make sure he'd heard right.

"Thank you granny," Rory started up again, hugging her even more tightly. "I love you. I'm sorry."

"That's okay. How 'bout you two go get cleaned up before someone sticks ya in an oven whilst I'll tidy the kitchen and fix us some lunch." Jackie let go on Rory's shoulders, turning and disappearing onto the kitchen with the door closing quietly shut behind her.

Rory looked up at the Doctor, beaming widely.

The Doctor grinned back, gesturing at him as he turned to his fiancée once more.

"Y'know the problem with your son?" he asked in imitation of her earlier. "He's exactly like you."


	5. “No Poodles” Zone

**A/N: **Apologies for late and rubbish chapter. I'll answer all reviews this chapter :D

FINALE TOMORROW!!! And also finale of Infinite Quest tomorrow at 10:30. Today's ep was like...bleh? I'm also going clothes shopping tomorrow, FINALLY. £90 and the whole domain of Exeter - I don't think it's enough.

* * *

Chapter 5 – "No Poodles" Zone

"Daddy what's that?"

The Doctor had only just pulled the ultrasound tool out of the drawer before Rory had started asking questions.

"It's a clever thing called an 'ultrasound' device, it'll show us inside your mummy's tummy," the Doctor replied as Rory almost tripped him over, eagerly scooting around his feet to see every inch of his father's movement.

"Why? What's in there?"

The Doctor connect the ultrasound device to its accompanying machine, resting it on the side as he reached for the tube of gel to spread over his fiancée's womb, currently being help down onto the bed by Jackie.

"Your little sister," he answered carefully, giving Rose a quick glance – who seemed to be perfectly content to let him handle the child's provocative questions as she laid back, content.

"She's in there?" Rory questioned eagerly, jumping up and down to try and get some more height to see. "Why's she in there?"

"Because she's safe to grow inside there," the Doctor said, silently applauding himself for his efforts. He'd only ever had to do this once before and that was over one hundred years ago. He finished with the gel, reaching once more for the ultrasound tool.

"Does she need protection daddy?"

He smiled. "Yep. She'll need protection when she comes out too."

"So you put her in there daddy?"

He paused for a moment, and then nodded. "Yes, I did. You were exactly the same." He was extremely aware of Jackie and Rose watching him with traces of amusement as he lowered the tool to her womb.

"But how'd she get in there?"

Oh Rassilon. This was interrogation.

"How'd _you _think she got in there?"

Rory paused, scratching his head. His tiny mind was obviously racing through the possibilities.

"Was she so tiny you pushed her into mummy's belly button?"

"Umm…"

"Or did mummy swallow her?"

"…Yes." That sounded good. "Mummy swallowed her down with a nice cup of tea."

Jackie and Rose were staring at him now. He looked up from the boy towards them; giving them both a Doctor patented 'you try answering him then!' expression.

However, they didn't seem to want to interrupt him.

"What's her name?"

"Err…" he garbled for a moment, the question catching him discretely off guard. "Err…well…we…err…we…don't have a name for her yet."

"So she's just 'little mummy'?"

"Yup."

"Where is she?" Rory asked again eagerly, bounding over to the screen to look at the colour ultrasound picture. "What's that?" he asked again before the Doctor even had a chance to reply. "Mummy does it hurt having her inside you? When's she gonna come out?"

Rose grinned down at the boy as he twirled back around towards her, bolting through the Doctor's legs to touch his mother's arm.

"No, no, she doesn't hurt," Rose replied, stroking back his hair. "And she's gonna come out real soon."

"When? What's that?" Rory was looking back at the screen, darting back through the Doctor's legs and staring into the monitor, nose resting on the screen. "Is that her?" He pointed at a small blob on the screen. "Is it? Is it is it is it? She looks weird."

"Rory, heel!" the Doctor called, and reluctantly, the boy backed away towards him.

"Can I try?" he asked, staring pointedly at the ultrasound tool held in the Doctor's left hand. The Doctor nodded, helping his son up onto his lap with one hand. He rested Rory's hand on the ultrasound tool, guiding it carefully over Rose's womb.

"Look, there she is," the Doctor pointed at a small, curled up being just interpretable as a baby. "Perfectly healthy and growing steady."

"Why does she look so weird?"

"'Cause she's still growing."

"Is she asleep?"

"I think so."

"Can she hear us?"

"Maybe."

Rory looked down at his mother's womb, grinning at the baby unseen within.

"My name's Rory and I'm your big brother," he said, "I'll protect you." He looked back up at the Doctor, eyes full of pride. The Doctor patted him on the head applaudingly, glancing at the clock.

"Blimey!" he announced, gesturing at the item hanging on the wall. "Eight o'clock already."

Rory instantly feel silent, as if pretending he was no longer there. Maybe they'd forget about him if he stayed quiet for long enough…

But the Doctor was already lowering him to the Infirmary floor, making to pack away the Ultrasound equipment as Jackie helped Rose to her feet.

"Rory…" the Doctor started as the boy stared miserably at his shoes. "Dreams are just dreams. They can't hurt you. How 'bout you try talking back to her?"

Brief pause.

Finally, Rory nodded, sharply. Determined. "Mmmkay."

* * *

She should've expected it, really.

She woke up to a cold, empty bed in the Tyler's flat – the place the Doctor had lain long since deserted. She quickly got dressed, and after a bout of time with her head in the toilet bowl, headed to the spare room where Rory slept in the flat. She felt slightly dizzy – the pain was starting to come back. The drugs were wearing off, rather quickly, she thought.

Sure enough, there was the Doctor lying on top of the covers next to Rory who was tucked within, sleeping soundly. Silently she crossed the room to the bed, sitting down on the mattress next to the Doctor to make it sink down, his head lolling to the side.

A little disoriented, she rested a hand on his shoulder – determining if she tried to kiss him she would probably miss his lips totally – and shook him gently.

His eyelids fluttered open, registering the girl in his vision. He gave her a small smile.

"Morning," he whispered brightly, pulling himself up to sitting position and enveloping her in a greeting hug. He could sense something was wrong immediately.

Pulling away, he held her at arm's length and quickly checked her appearance over, eyes dropping but a few seconds after to her swollen womb. She nodded before he even opened his mouth to ask.

He nodded once more in acknowledgment, getting onto his feet and helping Rose to her own as he led her out of the spare room, towards Jackie's. Jackie was the only one who knew the whereabouts of the TARDIS keys and he desperately needed to give Rose her nullification, preferably before she passed out.

"Jackie," he hissed, tapping lightly on the bedroom door of the woman in question. "Jackie, where are the TARDIS keys?"

"I told you Doctor," came a sleepy, murmured voice from within. "No TARDIS, not 'til after ya weddin'."

"Jackie, please, I need to give Rose her drug prescription." He could feel her starting to lean more against his side, so he slipped his arm around her waist to help her stay standing. "Jackie!"

"Top left hand drawer in the kitchen, under the microwave," she answered a few moments later after careful consideration.

"Thank you!" he said, rolling his eyes at the impossible woman inside the bedroom. Just as he turned to leave, she spoke once more:

"I saw that."

He stuck out his tongue, following up with an inappropriate salute.

"And that." But he had already disappeared out of the front door, TARDIS key in hand.

* * *

"Doctor, we really need to do somethin' about Rory," Rose started the dreaded conversation as the Doctor finished administering her the drugs. She was already feeling better because of it. "It can't go on like this."

He nodded. "I know," he said simply, taking a seat on the bed next to her and setting the needle back down on the convenient bedside table. "It's gone way past a phase."

"Maybe we should get him a pet, or somethin'," Rose suggested. "Y'know, like a dog to make him feel safe at night. It's what Shareen's mum did for her brother when he had nightmares."

The Doctor paused for a moment, plaguing it over as he brushed back his hair absently. "Oh Rose Tyler, I like you! That's a good idea. But…" he paused, looking straight into her eyes. "I get to choose the pet."

She shrugged, not really caring. "Sure. Just don't pick a poodle – can't stand 'em." He mock saluted her.

"Guaranteed no poodles, ma'am."

She fixed him with a smile, unconsciously rubbing her belly. "Sorry about all the domestics recently. As soon as it's over we'll go to the most action-packed dangerous planet in the Universe, okay?"

He nodded gratefully.

"Betcha never thought this would all happen when we met in Henriks, did ya?"

He snorted with laughter. "Wasn't on my 'to do' list, I admit. But it's strange. Never thought I'd be ready to have another family after…" he paused, trailing off suddenly to nothing. Rose sighed. She was getting married to this man in eight weeks and she _still _was totally clueless about him.

She poked him in the chest, grin back in place.

"Oi. Names."

He shoot her a look – since when did she let _him _name a child? "I was thinking something like Abigail or Lily or Kaylee."

Her eyes instantly widened – disbelief. "Abigail's bit human for you, isn't it?"

"Nah," he shook his head, lowering himself down even further onto the bed so he was lying next to her, head resting on his arm. "The name 'Abigail' originated on Planet Dexal Four by a chap named Throop Palloop. I have no idea how it got to Earth."

"So…Lily?"

"Just a nice name. Kinda like Rose, really."

"If we named our entire family after plants we might aswell call her 'Gooseberry Bush'."

"Oh I dunno…'Gooseberry Bush' has a ring to it." He adjusted his voice to a motherly like sound, "come here little Goosy darling! Dinner's ready!"

Rose giggled, turning and resting her head on his chest. "And Kaylee?"

"I like Firefly."

"You're just full of surprises. Never thought You'd have warmed to the idea of a pet waltzing around the TARDIS."

"It's good for Rory!" he insisted, "and it's entirely justified. The last thing you need right now is sleep deprivation. So how's about you waddle off back to your mother's and I'll go scouting."

"No poodles," she reminded him as he got onto his feet, lifting Rose onto her own two.

"No poodles," he confirmed. "Oh, I've got something a little better than that in mind."


	6. Yip, Yip!

**A/N: **I've been a complete and utter bloody moron! I never replied to reviews because like an idiot I decided to clean out my inbox and accidentally deleted the reviews I meant to reply to...so...feel free to slap me! Might jolt my brain into working order.

It's been SO fluffy and innocent so far, so I know how you feel if you want some action. Not TOO fluff overdose, is it? Do tell me so I can start to cut out stuff. All the action takes place after the wedding, so this is the era of calm really. Then it...lifts off. Yep! I thought of a story!

Although I say Torchwood there are no spoilers past what you already know, and if you don't know Jack's Bad Wolf linked secret yet where HAVE you been living:P

* * *

Chapter 6 – "Yip, yip!"

"Rory, I got a present for you!" the Doctor chimed cheerily as he stepped into Jackie's sitting room of the flat, holding a large blanket covered box in his arms. Rory instantly let go of his toys, bounding forward towards the Doctor and jumping up and down in anticipation.

"Whaaaaaat?" He sniffed loudly, wiping his nose with the back of his hand.

"Wait for your mummy and granny first," the Doctor said, setting the covered box down onto the floor and dropping onto the sofa as Rory moaned out loud, stamping his feet moodily on the ground.

"I want it _now!_"

"Sit and wait!"

"But that's _boring!"_

"It's okay," came Rose's sudden voice from the doorway, stepping in from the Kitchen with her mother and crossing to room to sit beside the Doctor. "You can open it now."

Rory bounced on his heels eagerly, peering at the box from a distance as the Doctor lifted the blanket slightly and reached inside.

"Yip, yip!" something said, and as the Doctor pulled out the mystery presence within, Rose gasped.

Okay, she hadn't expected that.

"Yip, yip!" said the small blue dog-like creature with four legs, a pink mane and a furry pink tail waggling innocently, its floppy red tongue hanging out the side of its mouth. It had a perfectly round face with bright pink irises and alien-like ears, the ones that looked more like cones. Its nose was small, pink and wet, much like a cat's. It extended its tongue towards the Doctor, licking up his face adoringly.

"What the 'ell is that thing?!" Jackie demanded loudly, staring at the alien dog presented before her blankly.

"He's called Bob, he's a Delorion," the Doctor explained, setting the creature down onto the floor infront of Rory. "Come say hello. He won't bite you."

Rory stepped happily forward, extending a hand towards Bob. Bob stepped into his reach as Rory stroked back his wild pink mane. Bob responded by licking Rory up the face too, and he giggled insanely.

"Everyone he licks he acknowledges to be his master and mistress," the Doctor explained as the Delorion scooted back to Rose, jumping up into her lap on the sofa.

"Yip, yip!" Bob barked, getting onto his hind legs and resting his two front paws on Rose's shoulders. His tail waggled happily as Rose openly giggled, closing her eyes as the Delorion also licked her gently up her cheek.

"He's adorable Doctor," she applauded as the Delorion jumped off of her lap and back onto the floor, padding back over to Rory again.

"Yip, yip!"

"I am _not _havin' that thing in 'ere! What're the neighbours gonna think, eh? Blue alien dog wanderin' around the 'ouse!"

"Hey! You'll hurt his feelings!" the Doctor hissed, watching Bob as he chased his own obscenely furry pink tail playfully.

"Yip, yip!"

"You could've 'ad a nice poodle and instead you choose a Dalairi…summat?!"

"I love him!" Rose exclaimed, making to kneel on the floor and stroke Bob's lovely long pick mane once again.

"He's all yours Rory," the Doctor said to the child with a grin.

"All mine?" Rory asked disbelievingly, eyeing the Delorion's sharp incisors protruding from his mouth and pointed claws on his paws, determining he would make a rather good guard dog if the situation were called upon.

The Doctor nodded. "He's here to help you with your nightmares. He's gonna guard you at night to make sure you're safe."

"Wow!"

The Doctor cast his gaze back on Rose who was shaking, he could see. He dropped down to his knees next to her and gazed intently at her face.

"Rose?" he asked.

When she looked up however, it wasn't what the Doctor was expecting at all. Her eyes shone brightly with tears – although she was smiling broadly. She strengthened it even more so at his worried expression, trying to wipe her eyes with her own jumper sleeve.

She sniffed loudly. "I'm so happy!"

This came as a surprise.

"Then why am I seeing these?" the Doctor asked, reaching up to a stray tear on her cheek and brushing it swiftly away.

"I don't know!" she laughed, reaching out her arms to hug him tight. He obliged, looking up at Jackie over Rose's shoulder with a shrug.

"Pregnancy," she mouthed, and he silently laughed, rubbing Rose's back soothingly. His hands moved around from her back to her womb infront in which the Time Lord baby girl was settled, resting both hands on it.

But Rose felt something suddenly stir within her at the Doctor's touch…her expression turned to surprise.

"Did you feel that?" she asked the Doctor, who merely shrugged. "Did you feel her…? She moved…I felt her move…"

"Rose I think you're just entering month five," he said with his manic grin, rubbing her belly a little more.

"I've only been pregnant two-and-a-half months!"

"Accelerated growth rates," the Doctor explained. "Like pregnancy in a week with Rory – somehow the aging rate's defective. He's not even a year old but he's got all the drives of a five-year-old, though he seems to have slowed down now…" He extended a hand, ruffling his son's hair. "Isn't that right?"

Rory patted his hair down once more, sticking his tongue out at the Doctor, an action he returned.

"I'm _starving_," Rose suddenly came out with, her eyes now free of tears. A subtle hint, the Doctor thought.

"Just as well I got lunch ready ain't it?" Jackie smiled broadly, pushing herself off of the sofa and onto her feet, disappearing into the kitchen. "And you ain't feeding that thing leftovers!"

The Doctor rolled his eyes again, making to get up. He helped his pregnant fiancée to her feet, gesturing for Rory to follow to the kitchen.

"I got a tummy ache daddy," Rory said instantly. "And my head hurts."

"That comes from watchin' too much TV!" Jackie shouted from the kitchen. "As a responsible parent Doctor, it should be your duty to protect your son!"

The Doctor chose to ignore her. "Come anyway," he was saying to Rory, "keep your gran happy and you can give Bob your food."

Rory grinned, and nodded.

* * *

"_Rory? Please. I need your daddy," the little girl standing infront of him was saying, her long white dress flowing in non-existent breeze._

"_Why?" Rory demanded, still unable to move from his standing up position but the thought of both Bob and his parents strengthened his before dented inner strength._

"_I need to talk to him."_

"_What about?"_

"_Please, I have to talk to him."_

_Rory shook his head, paralysed from head to toe but determined to fight, earn his dad's pride. "You're gonna hurt him. I won't let you."_

"_No, Rory. I wouldn't ever hurt him."_

"_But you will!"_

"_Rory, I have to speak to him right now. I know this is hard to understand but everyone'll be in danger if I don't."_

"_Who are you?" the boy questioned, wondering if Bob was nearby for protection._

_She paused for a moment, watching him carefully. "…The giver of life."_

_For a second, Rory just stared at her blankly. "The who?"_

_But suddenly the girl flipped as quickly as a tossed coin, her wavy blonde hair that had once settled on her shoulders suddenly blowing out around her head in a beautiful halo – but this girl was now far from an angel as she began to hover a little in the air, thrusting an arm forwards towards Rory and clenching her fist tightly. The lights instantly shut off._

"_TELL HIM!!!" echoed a voice inside his head, shrill and screaming. "TELL HIM!!! TELL HIM!!! TELL HIM!!! TELL HIM!!!"_

"_Yip, yip!" came a sudden barking from beside him – his way out. Rory watched as Bob bounded happily over to the girl, standing directly infront of here before he suddenly lost his happy demeanour – and carnivorously growled at the girl, teeth bared as he stood in a defensive stance of his master standing behind him. "YIP, YIP!" he barked angrily._

_And then she was gone._

Rory's eyes bolted open wide, sitting up instantly in his bed. He looked down at the Delorion curled up comfy and snoozing at the bottom of his bed, snuggling up against his feet.

"Just a stoopid dream," Rory said to himself, feeling calmed by the presence of Bob and the fact he was finally in his own bedroom. Jackie had let them all sleep in the TARDIS tonight purely because Mo had to stay overnight at the flat unexpectedly, and without a spare bed and an alien dog Jackie had personally elected them to stay in the TARDIS.

Rory grinned to himself, sliding back down under the covers and closing his eyes once more.

The Doctor watched over his son from the TARDIS Console Screen, smiling at the sight of Rory finally sleeping without fear.

"Night, night," he muttered, watching him sleep for a few seconds more. But then he saw it.

The purple slice he'd seen but a few days ago was suddenly there on the monitor, in the child's bedroom, although this time the figure was close enough for him to distinguish it was indeed wearing a long purple dress – long enough to touch the ground. He did a double take, blinking to make sure his eyes weren't deceiving him.

Apparently they were.

Shuddering, the Doctor stared at the monitor for a few moments more, the scene dark once more. He tapped a few buttons on the console, grabbing the monitor and swinging it around the column to face the other side of the room. Purely a trick of the light…there was absolutely nothing more to it.

He sat back lazily in the Captain's chair, propping his feet up onto the console and resting his head on his hands. At least Rory was sleeping now, along with his mother. That was one problem sorted.

Another one being – was he supposed to write his own vows?!


	7. The Full Monty

**A/N: **I nearly scrapped this idea in the eagerness to get to the action, but it's a good way to pass some time so I can get to the wedding. It'll be a little bit, wedding'll happen...then POW! Action. Lots of it. And BTW, affiliates of the Doctor who would be concerned for his safety: Rose, Rory, Jackie, Howard, Mickey, Bob, Jack, UNIT, Torchwood ('Safety' is a bit debatable but they'd want him alive), Sarah-Jane, K9...who else? I was thinking MI6, in association with Harriet Jones perhaps. Is there anyone else present day Earth who would be concerned for him?

Yes, there is a point to that :P

Oh, I'd better say now, Torchwood is in this but there are no spoilers for it for the people who don't want 'em.

* * *

Chapter 7 – The Full Monty

"I've set two buttons on the TARDIS," the Doctor was saying, pushing so over hanging wires out of the way to point at a small red button, and a small green one set side by side. "This one…" – he pointed at the red one – "…will take you to the alien hospital, we did antenatal checks there, remember?"

Rose nodded as his hand moved over to the green button. "…This one'll bring you back home. They're totally reusable. Got it?"

She nodded again, affirmation. He smiled at her.

"Good. I'd better go check on Rory. It's 10:00am and he hasn't started running around screaming yet…"

Rose laughed, dropping into the Captain's chair and taking a '**Bride's Choice Monthly**', absently flicking through.

* * *

"Rory, time to get up. It's ten already." The Doctor tapped cautiously on the door of the bedroom. 

"I don't wanna get up," Rory's muffled voice replied. "I don't feel good."

"What's wrong?"

"My tummy hurts."

Paternal instincts suddenly made the Doctor alert to the child's discomfort, stepping through the bedroom door to see his son tucked up in bed, the Delorion still snoozing at his feet.

He walked forwards, taking a seat on the bed next to him and brushing back his hair fondly, resting the back of his hand on the boy's forehead.

"You're hot," the Doctor said worriedly, pulling back the covers to pick him up to take him to the Infirmary, throwing Bob off of the bed in the process. Bob barked, disgruntled, bounding out of the room as the Doctor picked up Rory in his arms and carried him out of the door to the Infirmary.

* * *

"Rose, he's got this rash on his chest now." 

"Hmm?" Rose asked vaguely, flicking absently through a wedding catalogue, trying to decide what design would suit her best.

"He says it's itchy," the Doctor continued, well aware Rose was infact not paying any attention to him whatsoever, not out of not caring, but more out of just general unawareness.

"Hmm?" Rose flicked to the next page, determining the figure defining tight white dress would not be the best option whilst she was five months pregnant. Did they do maternity dresses? They _might. _She'd have to ask.

"I gave him some lotion, though."

"Hmm?" She flicked to the male section and scanned down the page, trying not to snigger at the thought of the Doctor in a lavender-blue suit with a frilly white shirt and red bow tie pledging his vows of love to her. She would just die laughing.

"I think he's starting to get some spots in the rash," he carried on, now just talking because he had nothing else to do. He leant to the controls of the TARDIS Console, flicking a few buttons to change the temperature. It was getting a little hot.

"Hmm?" Rory in a white suit and turquoise bow tie – geez, the pair of them would look like curtains…

And then the penny dropped as her brain took in what the Doctor had said – everything finally sliding into place.

"What?!" she gasped, launching onto her feet and flinging the catalogue on the captains chair in the place she was sitting only two seconds ago.

He looked up from the console, startled.

"Huh?"

"What did you say about Rory?!"

He stammered for the answer, suddenly nervous for no apparent reason. "I…he…he's got this itchy rash and I think spots are coming up."

She raised a hand, pointing towards the TARDIS doorway as she spoke in a low, frightening, extremely commanding voice:

"Get out."

He blinked, staring at her set face. She wasn't joking. "What?"

"GET, OUT," she repeated firmly, louder than before. He still didn't move.

"Rose?"

"GET OUT OF HERE!" she almost screamed, gesturing frantically with her pointing hand towards the TARDIS doors. "GET OUT! NOW!"

He was almost scared by this pregnant human woman, whom had seemed completely harmless barely thirty seconds minutes ago. He took a tentative step forward, reaching out with a hesitant hand towards her.

"Rose?!" he was more shocked than angry, jumping back a few paces as she screamed at him in fury:

"Don't touch me! Go, go now! GET OUT NOW!"

He turned, and fled.

* * *

He was shaking like a leaf as he reached up for the doorbell to Jackie's flat, his mind conflicting emotions in a blur of complete madness. Had Rose just left him? What the hell had he done wrong? Did she think he'd hurt Rory or something? 

His hand had barely left the doorbell from its depression before the door suddenly flew open, a blur of a hand reaching out and grabbing his shirt before yanking him in – hard. Jackie was nattering on the phone, leading him roughly into the sitting room, apparently Mo had left. Oh Rassilon. She was going to give him a giant lecture on upsetting her daughter and a slap and he still didn't know what the hell he'd done wrong.

"Yep, he's here," Jackie was saying, pushing him forcedly into the middle of the room. "I dunno, I'll check." She looked up at him, eyes completely serious as she spoke her next words plainly and confidently to him:

"Doctor, strip."

He stared at her. "…What?!"

"Strip!" Jackie demanded more loudly, moving forward menacingly with her hand raised.

"Okay, okay!" he gasped, truly worried as he whipped off his jacket and tie, followed by his shirt – until he was standing half naked in the middle of Jackie Tyler's sitting room. Out of all the people to be raped by, it was going to be his mother-in-law?

"Kneel down," she commanded again and he obliged, clasping his hands together behind his neck as if he were being arrested, lowering himself onto his knees. Okay. So now she was going to torture him for hurting her daughter.

"I'm checking his head now," Jackie was saying down the phone, and he felt fingers run through his hair, parting it every now and then like she was looking for nits. Well, she wasn't going to find any.

She stopped checking through his hair and instead cupped his chin, bringing his head up to look intently over his face.

"Nothing so far," Jackie said down the line, gesturing for him to stand up again. "Trying to check his chest now, so much bloody hair…"

"Hey!" he cried indignantly. Jackie shushed him, moving around behind him. He turned to turn and confront her, but Jackie clamped a firm hand down on his shoulder.

"For God's sake Doctor, can't you stay put for one minute?" she asked finely, finally backing away from him and moving back over to the hallway.

"Well maybe if someone cares to tell me what's actually going on I wouldn't feel the need to turn around and throttle the answer out of you," he answered curtly.

"Doctor, sit down sweetheart and for God's sake get your shirt back on before you cause a fan girl stampede."

"What?"

"I said get your shirt back on and we'll talk. Are you deaf or summat?"

Hastily, he grabbed his shirt and slid his arms up the sleeves, murmuring death threats to the human race as he did so. He finally dropped onto the sofa fully clothed as Jackie finished the phone call, hanging up.

"Okay Doctor, Rory's ill," she said as she turned back to him, arms folded. He sighed, rolling his eyes.

"Yeah I noticed, thanks."

"He has a human illness."

"You really should receive a prize for stating the blatantly obvious, Jackie."

"He has Chickenpox."

Now the Doctor's ears really did prick up. "Chicken what?"

"Chickenpox."

He raised an eyebrow. "Y'know, last time I checked the calendar Jackie, it wasn't April the first."

"Nope, I'm serious, Doctor. Rory has Chickenpox."

His eyebrow rose further. "I get the 'pox' thing, but what the hell has it got to do with chickens?"

"Nothin'."

His eyebrow was almost off his head now. "Enlighten me please, Jackie. I feel I may suffocate from my own curiosity."

"Good, then we might be able to get some bloody peace 'round 'ere," Jackie muttered under her breath, before raising her voice to continue, "if you've never 'ad it before or 'ad any injections then if you get it now it could be serious."

He was shaking his head at her, lips pursed. "I'm not gonna catch a lousy human illness."

"Your son caught it," Jackie pointed out correctly.

"Yeah well, part human, gotta allow for some error. He's more human than I am."

"But there's still a chance you can catch it, which is why you've gotta stay away from Rose, 'im and the TARDIS for a couple of weeks until 'e's better."

"How contagious is it?"

"Highly."

The Doctor frowned. "I've already touched him with this chicken thing though. There's a chance I've already got it. But I can't scan myself unless I'm in the TARDIS. How long does it take for the onset of the symptoms?"

"Under two weeks, I think."

"And symptoms would be?"

"Umm…" she thought hard, back to when Rose had had the illness at least fifteen years ago. "First you'll get grouchy – probably won't see the difference there –" She ignored his glare. "-Then you'll get a rash, probably with a fever and a headache. Then you'll get these really itchy spots, which will crust over into pus-filled blisters and then fade over a few more weeks."

"Sounds jolly," the Doctor said sarcastically.

"Plus, if you get this disease there's a chance you won't be 'ealthy in time for the weddin'."

"I don't like that look you're giving me, Jackie."

"The spare bed's made up," she said, ignoring his comment. "Don't make a mess and don't go near the TARDIS – then we'll get on just fine."

Oh, this was great.

He was now flatmates with his mother-in-law.

* * *

**A/N: **I can actually give you THIS: 

_Chapter 8 - Beechams and a Lot of Herbal Tea_

_ "My blossoming Rose, stained deep red with my own body's blood, bleeding for…" _

_ He sighed, staring down at the words on the page as he realised it was starting to vaguely turn in a horror novel. _

_ "My blossoming Rose, a glowing red ruby in the heart of a sun – rare and virtuous, beautiful and true." _

_ "Well, aren't you the romantic one," Jackie Tyler's voice came loudly out of apparently nowhere, slightly startling him. "It's meant to be vows, y'know, not your last words."_

First time THAT'S happened for a while! I'm AHEAD a chapter? That's just...AGH!

Clearing up Lector Manor as we speak and I want that cowboy one done tonight. I'm very bad and keeping up :D


	8. Beechams And A Lot Of Herbal Tea

**A/N: **I wrote this chapter ages ago. Months! I always planned this but I did bridge a gap from the landing to the wedding so I've gotta cross it somehow. Oh, and I'd like to take this oppurnity (As I have in the other one) to THANKS YOU ALL for all your reviews, there's been a ton and I'd loved ever letter of 'em. I NEVER have enough time to reply because I'm severely inefficient so sorry :P

* * *

Chapter 8 – Beechams and a Lot of Herbal Tea

"My Rose."

_No, needs an adjective…_

"My little Rose."

_She's not little, though…_

"My perfect Rose."

_Nope, sounds cheesy…_

"My blooming Rose."

_Sounds rude…like the flower reference though. Keep it._

"My bloody Rose."

_Oh blimey no, erase! ERASE!_

The Doctor frantically twisted his rubber tipped pencil around in his palm so the rubber was tip down, printed Gallifreyian words he had written down on the notepad disappearing for the hundredth time since he'd started.

Wedding vows.

He was never any good at pledging love. He could write poems, songs, plays, scripts, stories – long or short – test papers, test answers, essays, Shakespeare, biographies, articles, columns, agony aunt letters…absolutely anything, all in over five billion different languages – but he couldn't for the life of him write a stupid couple of lines about his own pledges of love.

He sighed to himself, running a hand through his hair and kicking his legs against the sofa seat again as he tried to get some inspiration from the impact.

"My blossoming Rose."

_That's good. Very good. That's really very, very good. Excellent, infact. Trés bien!_

"My blossoming Rose, a flower in spring…"

_Everyone uses that one…_

"My blossoming Rose, stained deep red with my own body's blood, bleeding for…"

He sighed, staring down at the words on the page as he realised it was starting to vaguely turn in a horror novel.

"My blossoming Rose, a glowing red ruby in the heart of a sun – rare and virtuous, beautiful and true."

"Well, aren't you the romantic one," Jackie Tyler's voice came loudly out of apparently nowhere, slightly startling him. "It's meant to be vows, y'know, not your last words."

He looked up at her with his pencil in his teeth, pushing up his glasses on his nose as he dropped the notepad on the sofa he was spread out on. Even Jackie had to admit, he did look past gorgeous in those thick-framed glasses.

"Is it _meant_ to be this hard?" he asked, before sniffing back his cold he seemed to have acquired in the past day or so. Out of all the viruses Time Lords were immune to, they still hadn't got around the dreaded cold. There wasn't a cure in the Universe for a cold except for Beechams and a lot of herbal tea – it was actually one of the main reasons most lifeforms stayed away from Earth – for fear of the horror of the 'cold'.

"It's your weddin' vows sweetheart, no one cares but it matters the world…Universe…" she hastily corrected herself. "To Rose."

He bit his lip, frowning as he looked back down at his notepad. "I know."

Jackie took a seat on the part of the sofa he was lying on, handing him a plate of small party-sized cheese sandwiches. He shook his head in rejection to the food, chewing on the pencil thoughtfully as he read and re-read his vows so far.

"Let's 'ave a read," she put the plate on the coffee table and snatched away his notepad before he even noticed she had moved. She frowned, staring at the mixed weird markings on the page. "Oh, it's that bloody language of yours."

"Shut up," he said instantly, suddenly annoyed.

"Well _sorry," _Jackie replied with emphasise on the 'ry'. "Aren't you touchy today?"

"Well maybe if you weren't so irritating," he replied airily, grabbing the notepad back and moving to erase the alien markings for another time. Jackie immediately stole it out his hands again.

"It's good! Keep it!"

"You're just saying that!"

"Since when did I ever lie to protect ya feelin's, Doctor?"

He frowned, suddenly mulling it over. "Okay, fair enough. It stays." He looked up at her, suddenly puppy-eyed and sad. "Can I phone Rose yet?"

She glanced up at the clock, before shaking her head rapidly as 5:37pm registered in her vision.

"Only past 7:00pm, Doctor."

He sighed – loudly. Bloody humans and their reduced phone rates after 7:00pm.

"Please? Just this once?" he begged, sitting up and whipping off his glasses to fix her with that puppy dog look, lips pouted, eyes sad and begging. She obviously wasn't buying it. Time for the killer move. "I want to speak to Rory."

Her demeanour changed almost instantly, at the mention of her grandson it was like she'd just discovered the last chocolate in the box. He smiled gently at him, all sympathy.

"Oh okay, go on then!"

His pout immediately broke out into huge, cute, charming and frankly, _amazing _grin.

"Thank you!" He launched off of the sofa, grabbing the phone and dialling for home.

"Make it quick!" she said loudly as she left the room again, going to get some tea ready for the pair of them. The Doctor clicked his tongue impatiently as the ringing began on the other end – ten rings passed and the Doctor began to feel a little anxious, before there was a loud click and suddenly the sound of a child's hyper orientated screaming on the other end.

"_Hello?" _Rose's voice suddenly asked, and suddenly he was flowing with energy again – he'd been so moody the past couple of days with his mother-in-law. He hadn't seen Rose for two weeks now. It was agonising that he knew she was close, knew she was just down a flight of stairs – but he couldn't see her. He'd spent most of that time being forced to flick through wedding catalogues, in the end being forced to choose a long fitted tuxedo with a plain white shirt and black bow tie, and although Jackie had insisted he wore a pair of immaculate black polished shoes he had eventually won her over by saying he had his own 'posh shoes' in the TARDIS. Little did she know they were his converses.

"Rose!" he almost yelled in delight. "It's me!"

"_Doctor!" _she yelled back, even more delighted.

He readjusted the phone on his ear. "How are you?"

"_I'm fine…Rory! Put that down!!!" _she suddenly yelled to the child, whom he could still hear stampeding around the TARDIS in the background. _"Rory, no, don't scratch them they'll scar. No…look, daddy's on the phone, you want to talk to daddy? Yes? C'mere then."_

There was the sound of scuffling as he heard Rose hand the phone over to Rory.

"_Hi daddy," _came Rory's small voice. The Doctor was smiling, even though he couldn't see his son. _"Sorry you had to go away."_

"That's okay Rory," he replied, still smiling as he imagined the boy in his mind. "How are you feeling?"

"_They itch."_

"Well they're bound to. Bet you look like a pin cushion aswell."

The boy giggled. _"When are you coming home daddy?"_

He sighed. "Soon. Really soon."

"_I miss you."_

"I miss you too."

"_Did you go because of me?"_

Rose answered this one for him, _"no Rory, it's not you, it's the Chickenpox."_

"_Turkeypox," _Rory corrected loudly. _"Why, does the Turkeypox hate daddy?"_

"_Because if he catches it he could get seriously ill. Even worse than you."_

"_Oh," _Rory said, suddenly sounding worried. _"Don't get ill daddy."_

"I'll try not to."

"_Okay Rory," _Rose's voice came through again, _"go pick up those toys whilst mummy talks to daddy, okay? Stay in here."_

"_Okay, buh-bye daddy. I love you."_

"Bye-bye Rory, get better soon."

More scuffling, and suddenly Rose was back on the line.

"_Hey," _she said. _"So you're okay then?"_

"Fine," he answered as Jackie shuffled back into the room with two cups of tea clutched in her hands, setting them on the coffee table. "Well, as fine as could be with your mother pushing me around."

Jackie swotted him lightly over the head with the radiotimes, along with a yelp of surprise from him – and then launching into a sneezing fit.

"_Doctor?!" _Rose asked, anxiously.

"Just a cold. All your bloomin' human diseases, it's a wonder you can keep track!"

He heard her sigh in relief on the other end. _"Good. Give it a couple more days until his spots have crusted over, and we're in the clear."_

"'Ow long 'ave you been on that phone Doctor?" Jackie suddenly asked mildly, flicking through channels on the TV. "You're like a teenage girl!"

"Only five minutes!" he protested, hearing Rose's snigger on the other end.

"Five minutes too long!" she said, tearing her eyes away from the TV screen to point at the phone. "Hang up. Now."

"But…"

"_Don't worry Doctor, I'll see you in a couple of days, yeah? Wait…Rory! Come back! Rory!!! Sorry Doctor, I've gotta go, love you, bye!"_ Dead tone.

He took the phone away from his ear, staring miserably at the receiver infront of him.

"Bye," he said weakly, before hanging up the phone, clasping his head in his hands and running them through his hair.

"Eastenders?" Jackie proposed lightly as the aforementioned program blipped onto the screen. He sighed.

"I don't care," he said curtly, staring at the floor. Jackie rolled her eyes.

He didn't speak for the rest of the night.

* * *

**A/N: **And we're back to no previews again. Me...inefficient. Told you so! 


	9. First Sign Of Madness

**A/N: **(Phew) Sorry about long wait and rubbish chapter, but it can't be helped. Like I said, drowning in fluff here! It was eight WHOLE chapters and I didn't lay a _finger _on him! Phew, glad I finally got _some_ Doctor torture in, good for the body, soul and mind :D Though it's not really torture. It's cotton candy misfortune. Man, I can't _wait _till after the wedding when my wrath shall return! MUAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!

I figured out a way to get Nine in this story, but not Nine's Rose, because then it just gets confusing...

* * *

Chapter 9 – First Sign Of Madness...

He woke up the next morning on the floor of his bedroom, feeling hot and uncomfortable. Jackie's heating must still be on the fritz. He sighed, pulling himself off of the floor and getting dressed, picking up his Sonic to go and mend the heating before Jackie swotted him around the head for not doing it instantly.

He scratched behind his ear, thinking hard as the sound of Jackie's footsteps rung out from down the corridor.

"What're you doin'?" she yawned, crouching down next to him and the heater. He buzzed away with the Sonic, making a loud point.

"I'm going swimming," he said sarcastically, wiping off the sweat clinging to his forehead.

"So…why'd you need to mess with the 'eater to do that?"

He sighed loudly, implying her lack of brain cells as he continued to buzz away again.

"It's bloody hot in here Jackie, or hadn't you noticed?"

"No, I hadn't." This was really getting her alert. A cold…fever…grouchiness… "Shirt off." She came out with immediately, running a hand through his hair to check his scalp.

"Isn't it a bit early for that?" He sighed, unbuttoning his shirt for yet another time infront of his own mother-in-law.

She quickly checked over his chest.

"Anythin' been a little itchy sweetheart?"

He frowned. "My back's been a little…nah! That's just stupid." Jackie turned him around and cast her eyes over his back. "I can't have the…"

"You got the chickenpox," Jackie cut over the top of him, confirming everything he dreaded. He stared at her, anxiously.

"What?"

"You've got it."

"But…but…" he stuttered, reaching a hand over his shoulder to his back and feeling something lumpy in the place it seemed to be itchy. "It can't…"

"I'll phone Rose," Jackie said shortly, handing him back his shirt and starting off down the corridor into the sitting room. She didn't hear a word from him as she dialled for the TARDIS – and then just as she pressed the phone to her ear, the alien language string of blaspheme started up from the corridor, accompanied with crashing footsteps as he marched angrily into the kitchen, slamming the door behind him. Unfortunately, the wall wasn't soundproof.

"_Hello?" _

"Hello Rose sweetheart. I've got some bad news."

"_Oh God. He's got it, hasn't he?"_

"Yup."

"_How is he?"_

There was suddenly a loud crack of splitting wood from the kitchen, accompanied with an agonised yelp and another few crashing sounds of tumbling pots and pans.

"I _think _'e just kicked a hole through one of my cupboards," she answered mildly. There was another yell of frustration as apparently the 'knife was too straight' and then another thud – as suddenly all went quiet.

"…And I think he just fainted."

* * *

"Did daddy catch the Turkeypox?" 

Rose looked down at the infected child as she held the blue ice pack to the Doctor's head, lying in his bed back on the TARDIS where Jackie had managed to drag him to from her flat. His temperature was thirty and rapidly gaining – though Rose couldn't really be sure whether that was average for a Time Lord or not – it was definitely less than a human but he looked so hot.

"Yes, he did," she answered the boy, beckoning him up onto the bed next to his dad.

"Please Jackie…don't make me take my shirt off again…" came the sudden voice of the person in question, breathing in deeply. Rose giggled and his eyes shot open in alarm, registering her and Rory in his vision – before smiling as closing his eyes again, reaching up to the ice pack Rose held to his head.

"Blimey, that feels good," he breathed, resting his hand on Rose's and pressing it firmer down to get more of the cold. "What the hell is the temperature in here?"

"You're currently making up thirty three of it yourself," Rose said casually, and his eyes widened.

"Thirty three?!" he gawked, checking himself over. "Thirty _three?!"_

"I take it that's not good?"

"Not likely!" He reached a hand over his shoulder to itch at the rash – but Rose quickly scolded him, slapping his hand.

"Don't scratch them!"

"Why not?" he demanded, reaching up again. She grabbed his hand and wrenched it down firmly, holding it rigid in her grip.

"Because they'll scar and you'll get worse."

"That doesn't compensate for it!"

Rose rolled her eyes, clutching his hand even tighter. "Look, stay here and I'll go get the itching cream. It hasn't even spread from your back yet, you're such a moaner!" She turned to her son, giving him his father's hand. "Rory, if daddy tries to itch himself, you know what to do."

He nodded, and the Doctor immediately felt unnerved by his own son. As Rose exited the room he stared at Rory, unexplainably scared as the boy stared blankly back at him. Slowly, he reached up his hand not held by Rory, extending it over his shoulder to his back where the rash lingered.

Rory watched him for a moment, narrowing his eyes slightly. He let go of the Doctor's other hand and reached both his own up to his eyes, starting to make sniffling sounds.

The Doctor instantly knew what he was planning. "Aww no, don't…don't…don't do that…"

"WAAAAAAAAA!" Rory cried, tears spilling down his cheeks as the Doctor's hand instantly flew away from his back and instead reached out to Rory, pulling him towards him and hugging him tight.

"Aww no…stop…please? I wasn't really going to! Rory, stop!"

"WAAAAAAAAA!"

"Rory! This isn't fair! Stop crying now…"

"Good boy Rory!" Rose's voice praised as she appeared in the room again, and within an instant Rory's tears had cleared and he was beaming up at Rose, his set of perfect teeth apparent. Rose took her place on the bed again, handing Rory a lolly by way of a reward.

"Thank you mummy," he said politely, shoving it into his gob before jumping off of the bed and running speeding out the room. Rose looked back at the father, laughing at his deflated expression.

* * *

Jackie, the kind dear that she was had taken responsibility of arranging the wedding whilst the Doctor was infected with the Chickenpox – or rather, what he liked to call it: 'Varicella Zoster'. 

Rose soon found out that the Doctor made an extremely bad patient: she'd resorted to duck taping his hands into oven mitts and tying them to the head of the bed to prevent him from both itching the blisters and to stop him walking around every three seconds to fix something on the TARDIS.

Even Mickey and Howard had come to visit, to which he'd spent the entire meeting hiding under the covers pretending he was light sensitive. If Mickey saw him like this he'd _never _live it down…

But then he started to get worse: sore throats, headaches, nausea…he had a custom to joining her a few times during her morning sickness routine whilst the rest of the day he just slept off. She wanted her hyperactive Doctor back; he spent _far_ too much time with his eyes closed nowadays.

Rose got the feeling if she kept up this act for much longer she'd end up becoming 'the Nurse' by name. The Nurse and the Doctor, it was all very medical…

His fever had got worse, now starting through the early fifties. That wasn't healthy – not even for a human. Rose was worried, but knew she needn't have been. If he still had common sense somehwere in that fried brain of his he'd _know _regeneration would be a very, very, _very _bad choice if he was hoping Jackie and Rose had stopped with the slaps.

But now he spent fifteen hours in deep sleep a day, the rest as his usual bouncing self.

But the Doctor had not been without his doubts. The only person that didn't seemed to squirm whenever they touched him apart from Rose (who was kind of forced not to anyway, after all, this man _was _her husband), was Bob. The Doctor had always wanted a Delorion ever since his old one died, back on Gallifrey. It had been a good luck present from some friends to his brother the day he'd graduated the Academy - the Doctor himself had been only five years old but his brother had been so busy with the new Time Lord duties that he'd given it to him. He'd named the Delorion 'Bill', after his Uncle on his mother's side. So yes, he and Bill tended to get in a little trouble from time to time, especially with the strict Time Lord retired official living next door.

The day he'd left for the Academy himself was the day his little Delorion died, killed in a freak automobile accident under suspicious circumstances...

All the way through his time at the Academy he'd hoped someone would think to get _him _a Delorion when he left - though he supposed being expelled probably wasn't _really_ a rewarding way to leave.

Bob began to lick him up the face, not even caring for all his disgusting blisters. That Delorion would lick anything.

"Good boy," the Doctor applauded, rubbing Bob's fluffy mane with his head as his hands were still restrained. "At least you love me. I haven't seen another living person for hours now...I think I'm going mental."

"Yip, yip," Bob answered, sitting down on his lap at looking up at the Doctor, tail wagging as he panted with his tongue hanging out.

"Really," the Doctor carried on, "she just ties me up and leaves me for days on end, starving, thirsty...needing the toilet badly..."

"Yip..."

"I mean, if you were on an ethics commitee and you happened to wander in the room at this precise moment in time, what would you think?"

"Yip."

"Exactly. A perfectly nice man extremely ill and taped into oven mitts tied up to a bed talking to a Delorion. It's surely the first sign of madness! Probably the second, third, fourth and fifth too!"

"..."

"I may be a nine-hundred-year-old Time Lord from outer space but that doesn't mean I don't have a part in the Geneva Convention!"

"..."

"Nowhere _does _it state that Convention only applies to humans! I'm just claiming my rights, and I'm fully entitled to that action too!"

"..."

"I know! It's absolutely preposterous! AND...and...and..." he glanced around, trailing off ineffectually as he seemingly finally noticed the lack of Delorian in the room.

The Doctor sighed, and lean back in his once more lonely room. Now, where was he?

"One million twenty two thousand nine hundred and eighty six bottles of beer on the wall, one million twenty two thousand nine hundred and eighty six bottles of beer..."


	10. New Shoooes?

**A/N: **I'm just gonna shut up and get on with the story...

* * *

Chapter 10 – New Shoooes?

"Doctor, you'll look handsome, put 'em on!"

The Doctor held up the pair of immaculately polished shoes in thumb and forefinger, raising them up to his eyes with a disgusted look on his face.

Jackie sighed, straightening his tuxedo collar and brushing down his jacket.

"They're just _shoes _Doctor, posh ones at that. Put 'em on."

"They're all…shiny," the Doctor pointed out, taking in a whiff of them before launching into a coughing fit. "And they stink!"

"Doctor, put them ON! They'll go well with your tux!"

"I don't like them!" he moaned, dropping them to the floor. "Can't I just wear my converses?"

"What, these stingy old things?" Jackie lifted his white converses, regarding them with even more disgust than the Doctor to his black shoes. "Doctor, this is your _weddin'!" _She tossed the shoes carelessly across the room, the Doctor practically shrieking at her inhumanity and bolting over to them, picking them up and hugging them tight.

"There, there. Nasty woman's gone now."

"You need to look _smart!"_

"I have a smart pair of converses!" the Doctor protested, setting the shoes back down on the floor carefully as though they were the crown jewels.

"Doctor your Stag Night is _tomorrow, _we don't have any time to argue!"

"Exactly! And I'm not wearing those things!"

"What's up?" Rose next appeared in the TARDIS Wardrobe doorway wearing a long t-shirt as a maternity nightie, yawning and rubbing her eyes. She looked to the Doctor in the tuxedo, stifling a giggle. "Shouldn't you be restin'?"

"She's trying to make me wear those!" the Doctor protested, gesturing at the pair of shoes he'd dropped to the floor. Her smile vanished.

"I don't care! Just nod and come back to bed! Rory'll wake up soon if you carry on like this!" she replied snappily, looking agitated as she rested a hand on her womb. The hormones were firing again. The Doctor decided to shut up.

Pause.

"Well?!" she demanded.

The Doctor instantly started undoing his tuxedo jacket as a form of reply, eyeing Jackie as he threw it over a nearby railing and reached up to his shirt buttons. She took the hint and took the polished black shoes off of the floor to where the Doctor had dropped them, disappearing with a huff of impatience out the door.

Rose watched him as though he were on show, stepping forward towards him whilst her mother left the room. His blisters had almost fully disappeared over the two weeks he'd been ill, making him much better to look at.

She ran a hand over his thigh, looking up at him with pleading puppy dog eyes.

"Rose," he pointed out, poking her womb gently. "I'd mark you as out of action."

"Who said anythin' about _that _kind of action?"she asked surreptitiously, smiling up at him. She raised her right hand from his thigh slightly, moving it up as the other hand settled on his right hip.

"Now…don't…" he started, relieved as her hand missed and instead reached up to his half undone shirt. "Rose," he hissed, "Rory could walk in at any minute!"

"He's gotta learn sometime," Rose countered, silencing him by pressing her pouted petal soft lips to his own. Her tongue slipped out of her mouth and into his, exploring every nook, cranny and bump of his entire mouth. Her right hand was fiddling with the buttons on his shirt now, her left busy tugging at his already wild brown hair. It was a gentle moment, but fulfilling.

This was either the pregnancy hormones or Rose just being Rose. The former, he finally decided as her hand finished undoing the shirt and suddenly became deeply interested in his chest hair.

"Never wax please," she murmured against his lips as they both came up for air, the Doctor nodding before he was the one to fix their lips together once again. As she was exploring his mouth, he was exploring hers – a wonderful taste of honey, he found. He forced his way in even more, trying to get every last morsel of honey without even realising was he was doing.

Her warm hands ran in a massaging motion up his smooth back, the Doctor's own cool two hands entwined deep in her hair.

She was pushing him backwards now, back towards the spiral staircase set into the middle of the wardrobe. The railing ran across his lower back and was made all the more prominent as Rose pushed against him as much as she could with an almost six month along baby set in her fast swelling womb.

Both their eyes were closed as they just let the moment take them, the Doctor's hands dropping to the small of her back and rubbing it even more, able to tell that was where some pain lay.

Neither of them noticed the door clicking back open once more.

"I just need to get my…oh…" suddenly came Jackie's voice from the doorway, and at the sound of her voice the Doctor ripped his lips off of Rose's and gestured a frantic hand to his almost mother-in-law.

"Take it and go!"

"Y'know, most sane people use a bed," Jackie pointed out, strolling towards them both to retrieve her jacket from the floor next to them. "And d'you _know _what the time is? By the way Rose, you're also _pregnant. _You know what that means? It means don't have sex!"

"Since when?" Rose murmured, her tongue licking up his unspotted jaw line before her mum had even a chance to open her mouth to reply.

"Since…oh, never mind!" she sighed, heading back out the door. "I give up on you two!" And she was gone.

Rose looked back up at him. "Now, where were we?"

"Cloud Nine?" he suggested mildly with a grin. Rose grinned back, reaching back up to her fiancé's lips.

And then someone screamed. A child's scream. The sound of barking instantly filled the before solemn air as the screaming dissipated to nothing.

The Doctor's eyes widened instantly as he realised the only other person currently dwelling onboard the time vessel with them. He let go of Rose, doing up his shirt on the way as he tore it to Rory's room and almost smashed his way through the door. Bob was barking loudly, bouncing immediately up to the Doctor manically dashing around his ankles.

"Rory, what…" he started, but didn't need to carry on as suddenly his face turned pale. Confusion for a moment, yes, but it was all inevitably going to come back to anger. He jogged over to Rory's bed, where he son sat cradling his arm, tears falling down his cheeks.

Rose had arrived. "Oh my God, why's he bleedin'?!"

The Doctor scooped him up in both arms, taking him straight to the Infirmary without a diversion. He sat the boy on the nearest available bed, reaching up for the First Aid box and unclipping it. Rose arrived into the Infirmary, pained and nauseous from the unexpected running but in too much concern for her son to really care.

"Wanna tell me about your dream?" the Doctor ventured, taking out an antiseptic wipe of the box.

Rory's lip trembled with his tears now over, looking up at his dad with his wounded arm held out. It wasn't deep but it was deep enough to bleed. It was at least two inches long.

"It was her, daddy," he said smally as the Doctor dabbed carefully at the cut. "She said she wanted to speak to you and I said no, then she hurt me."

The Doctor risked a quick glance at Rose, nodding his head to confirm her suspicions as he finished wiping the wound and reached for the dressings. This was getting very real, and _very_ dangerous. He had to do something.

"Can I have a big bandage daddy?" he asked timidly, suddenly looking very vulnerable and cute.

He sighed loudly. "You do realise your granny's gonna kill me for this."

Rory nodded, lips pouted.

The Doctor took a bandage out of the box, wrapping it around the wound and fixing it in place. "How's that?" he asked as Rose sat on the bed beside him, holding her son protectively. Rory raised a grin, more hurt than he was letting on the Doctor could tell.

"Good," he said, jumping off of the bed and rushing out the door.

There was a brief silence between the two, before Rose was the one to speak up.

"What now?"

The Doctor frowned for a moment, before finally deciding.

"I've got to confront the dream," he said.

Rose could only watch as he got off of the bed, and called after Rory.

* * *

**A/N: **Guess whaaaaaaaaaat? Thsi is the only section of the next chapter I've written so have it:D

_Chapter 11 - Unnamed_

_"I might pass out, if I do, don't wake me up."_

_He placed his hands either side of Rory's temples, diving inside his mind and whipping out a pair of metaphorical binoculars to search for the dream. He ran forward, searching intently as thoughts and memories flew at him, but he did a good job of dodging them. He spotted a black hole of some kind at the end of the dream chain – like a spiral of darkness. There was no doubting that was what he wanted._


	11. Enter Eva

**A/N: **I've been having a bad day. (Sob) I think this chapter seems rushed, but hey.

* * *

Chapter 11 – Enter Eva

"Rose, to confront the…" he paused for a moment, trying to find the right word to describe it. "…Apparition, I might have to pass out. If I do, don't wake me up. I doubt you could even if you tried," he added thoughtfully and turned to his son sitting infront of him on the bed. "Okay?"

Rory nodded, closing his eyes.

"Remember, if there's anything you don't want me to see, just imagine a door and close it." He placed his hands on Rory's temples, and delved straight in.

Whipping out a pair of metaphorical binoculars, he began to search for the dream. He ran forward, searching intently as thoughts and memories flew at him, but he did a good job of dodging them.

Rose watched both her fiancé and her son in high anticipation, feeling useless from her own helplessness in the situation. Rory suddenly whimpered, almost pulling away as an old, previously blocked memory began to surface to his consciousness.

"Daddy I can see you…you're covered in blood…you're dead…"

"Stop thinking about it Rory, and it'll bury itself again." He knew full well what memory had been triggered from his probing and it involved him having a bullet lodged in his brain.

"There's two of you…one doesn't feel right…his brain's all out of place…"

"I know, stop thinking about it."

He spotted a black hole of some kind at the end of the dream chain – like a spiral of darkness. There was no doubting that was what he wanted.

"I've found it," he said out loud, stepping boldly forward towards it and extending a hand out to grab at it and drag it back to his mind.

Rose held him in anticipation, wondering slightly what was going to happen next. She didn't have to wait long. All of a sudden the Doctor let go of Rory's head, sagging instantly in her arms as he passed out in order to confront the dream.

She dragged him backwards along the bed to rest him on the pillows, making him as comfortable as possible. Whatever this apparent child wanted it wasn't an ice cream.

* * *

"_Hello?" the Doctor called as he wandered through a dream of complete blackness. "I'm here."_

_"Finally!" said a small voice that seemingly had a bit of an echoed depth to it, indeed that of a little girl's. "I needed to speak with you so bad."_

"_I'm listening."_

"_I've come to warn you. It's gonna happen," the voice said, and he felt something warm and reassuring slip into his hand._

_He looked downwards, for the first time seeing the small girl that possessed the words standing next to him, holding his hand. She had long blonde wavy hair that fell down past her shoulders, but her eyes were closed. "What is?"_

"_The purple woman."_

"_What about her?"_

"_She's coming. You need to be ready."_

"_What does she want?"_

"_You, someone like me and revenge."_

"_Not too unoriginal then," the Doctor said sarcastically. "And how'd you mean, someone like you?"_

_She seemed hesitant for a moment, unsure whether she should answer him or not._

_She finally nodded to herself, opening her golden eyes for him finally to see as she spoke the words:_

"_One of your children."_

_He stared at her, eyes wide as the pieces fitted together._

"_Eva?" _

_She nodded._

_His head was spinning as dropped to his knees infront of the girl, at her height._

"_I'm sorry, I'm so sorry," he said, wrapping his arms around her in a loving hug._

"_It's okay daddy. I wanted mummy to live, not me." _

"_Eva means giver of life," the Doctor said, smiling. "You're the bravest girl in the Universe."_

_She giggled, tightening her hug on her father. There was a brief pause, until she spoke up once more, something she had wanted to say for a long time._

"_Please save me daddy," she whispered, voice trembling. "I'm sorry I hurt Rory but I couldn't come straight to you, she would have found me."_

"_The purple woman?"_

_She nodded against his shoulder. "She's controlling all the psychic creatures, daddy. Including me."_

"_Slavery?" the Doctor spat out, pulling back from her and staring into her two golden eyes, hands on her shoulders. "You're a slave."_

"_She's my mistress."_

_The Doctor was not happy at all. "You're not a slave, Eva. I won't let you be."_

"_She's watching you daddy, she's always watching you. I couldn't get to you except anyway but through Rory. I shouldn't be here, if she finds me…"_

"_I won't let you go back to her. You're coming with me."_

"_Number one-zero-five!" a new voice suddenly intervened, one the Doctor didn't recognise but which could be easily guessed._

"_Yes mistress," Eva said automatically, letting go of the Doctor. "Go daddy," she whispered sideward to him. "Go, wake up, get out of here before she detects you."_

_But the Doctor remained adamant. "Get inside my head, I'll take you back to the real world."_

"_She'll find me in your head!"_

"_I can protect you with mental barriers, she won't be able to detect you."_

_Eva still seemed doubtful. "You don't know her…"_

"_Nothing can get past my mental barriers Eva, you'll be perfectly safe, please trust me. I'm not letting you stay here with her_."

"_Report number one-zero-five!"_

_There was nothing for it. Eva reached up to his temples and bit her lip, concentrating hard. _

"_You'll be safe, daddy, good bye," she said._

_The Doctor felt a rush of energy suddenly flow into his mind, and knew instantly what Eva had done as his eyes rolled back in their sockets and he fell to the floor, eyelids fluttering closed._

* * *

The Doctor snapped awake, bolting upright into sitting position as his eyes flew open to see his and Rose's bedroom, immersed in complete darkness. Middle of the night, he realised, rubbing his head. He began to wonder for a moment whether it had all been a dream, but no comfort came. It felt real…it _was _real. His daughter was a slave and there was absolutely nothing he could do about it – at least, not for the moment.

Against everything he stood for, he pushed the matter to the side.

He saw Rose lying asleep next to him, hand gripping on his left arm. According to his Earth Time clock he'd set on his bedside table it was 2:00am. He'd been asleep for eighteen hours straight and he was absolutely starving.

He reached over to Rose, placing a gentle kiss on her cheek as he got off of the bed and headed to the kitchen, finding something to eat.


	12. Pikachu! I Choose You!

**A/N: ** I know where the hell I'm headed :D Finally, we're getting to the plot! Woohooooooooo!

* * *

Chapter 12 – Pikachu! I Choose You!

He landed the TARDIS as smoothly as he could, trying not to disturb the two sleeping occupants inside so he could get a little time to himself. It was six in the morning and for once as he stepped out the double blue doors, it wasn't gloomy and raining with that good old British weather.

He walked casually towards the cemetery gate, the early morning sunrise lighting his way towards the grave he was bound for. He was breaking a promise, in fact, pinky swears (Some human rituals were truly bewildering…) with Rose – but as he reasoned, what she didn't know wouldn't hurt her. He could see the grave now, the writing engraved on it so clear and fresh. The grass seemed to be a little more colourful around this area, some flowers had even sprouted around the grave and the Doctor found himself smiling at the sight of so much life.

**Here lies Eva Jela Sigma-Tyler**

**Born to the Doctor and Rose,**

**29****th**** November 2006**

**Died to save her mother,**

**29****th**** November 2006**

**Too young to die.**

He dropped to his haunches beside the grave, reaching inside his right trenchcoat pocket and withdrawing a concealed bunch of roses from within, setting them on the head of the grave.

The shock had taken a moment to kick in but now he was finally realising what had just gone on, and it was almost scaring him. He couldn't get the surrealism of the situation of out his head. Eva was alive…but here she was, perfectly dead. She had died by his hand and she was supposed to stay that way.

The subject of her death still hurt him and he would forever regard the entire situation as his fault. He refused to accept there was nothing he could have done, but deep down he knew it was Mother Nature's way of balancing life out. The umbilical cord had strangled her inside the womb before she had come out, and there was no way to have prevented it apart from letting Rose die from blood loss.

A Time Lady or Time Lord couldn't be a purely psychic being, not unless there was a huge defect in their genetic makeup at birth. Eva had been a twin aswell, and if _she_ was purely psychic, where did that leave her twin brother, Rory? When Rose had given birth he'd been the first to come out but Eva had died, and her tiny dead baby body with her broken neck was currently buried beneath the soil but two feet infront of him. So why was she still wandering around?

Somewhere along the line something had been added, something he didn't know about.

And now she was a slave. He was going to find her and set her free, free to live as a psychic rather than caged as a servant to a weird woman in a purple dress. Trouble was, he had a wedding and a pregnant wife to attend to first, plus he didn't have a clue where to start. He no longer had the dream to go to which officially made him helpless with a capital less.

He got onto his feet, taking one last look at the grave before setting off back towards the TARDIS, his moment dealt with.

Slowly, his mind began to turn away from the sensitive subject, and instead to the single fact it was now his stag night. He wasn't very good at being on time despite being a Time Lord, but it seemed to be the little things that tripped him up. He'd been late to his first day at the Academy, he'd been late for his granddad's funeral, his brother's wedding, his mum's birthday party, his fifth year _girlfriend's_ party and he'd even been late to his _own _birthday party. His last wedding was no exception; he'd even been late for that as well. So how on Earth was he going to be on time to this one and avoid the Jackie slap-of-doom?

He slipped inside the TARDIS, throwing his coat over the usual support strut and programming the TARDIS once more. It was still too early to go wake up Rose so instead he did the most humanly thing imaginable, and went to watch some early morning television.

* * *

Much to Rose's relief, she woke a few hours later to an empty bed. The Doctor had woken up from the dream. 

She was already fully clothed, so she got up and headed out the door to the Console Room, predicting that would be the most likely place for him to dwell. She was wrong – the moment she turned down the corridor with the Console Room at the other end, she heard the voices of her son and her husband echo through the open door of the sitting room.

She turned into it, brushing back her bed hair self-consciously as she saw them both sitting on the sofa, Rory with remote control in hand and the undeniable cartoon action of Pokemon on the gigantic wide screen television, the Doctor lounging back on the sofa like a true couch potato human, staring as Pikachu launched yet another lightning bolt attack.

"Did you kill her daddy?" Rory was saying, ripping a piece of toast off of the slice he held, covertly dropping it down onto the floor where Bob sat, launching forward instantly to grab the piece.

"No," the Doctor answered through a mouthful of marmalade toast.

"Is she gone now daddy?"

He nodded.

"How did you make her go?"

"I sang a song and she ran away."

"Your singing really _isn't _that bad y'know," Rose started suddenly, from behind them, considering the prospect of jumping over the back on the sofa and landing on him but having second thoughts as something gently kicked inside her stomach, reminding her distinctly that she was almost six months along. Instead, she walked around the sofa and dropped down into the Doctor's lap, kissing his cheek. "Morning sleepyhead," she said, tapping his nose.

"Says the girl with the bed hair and maternity pyjamas," the Doctor countered, gently pushing her to the side with his eyes still transfixed to the cartoon. "Come on Ash, Magnemite is an _electric _Pokemon, Pikachu's not gonna do bog all!"

"Use Squirtle!" Rory inputted from the side, almost screaming at the television.

"Oh geez," Rose muttered, making to get up off of the Doctor but he held her firmly, dragging her with him to lay down on the sofa, Rose on top of him, his arms around her chest as she lay face up, head resting on his shoulder.

"I'll tell you in a minute," he whispered in her ear and she nodded, turning her head to face the television where Pikachu was once again incapacitated. Ash finally seemed to click, bringing out Squirtle to defeat the evil man with the monobrow, before the Pokemon theme tune finally started up and Rory was on his feet, bounding over to his parents.

"Daddy can we play Armies with Bob?" he asked, the Delorion in question bounding around Rory's feet in hyperactive mode.

"Can he hold a gun?" Rose asked in puzzlement, but the Doctor just laughed.

"Maybe later Rory."

"Okay," he nodded, and ran out the door with Bob in tow. Finally the room was silent save for the underlying tone of Tamigotchi adverts on television, and Rose finally turn to him.

"What happened?"

"Rose…" he started, a little nervously. "I went inside and…"

He began to explain.


	13. ‘Incapeaball Hasbeen’

**A/N: **I bloody HATE this chapter, took long enough to write but it bridges another gap. I've spent half the time I haven't been writing redoing my brother's room now he's moved out (AND TOOK MY TEKKEN 5 WITH HIM!!! HE DESERVES TO DIE IN HEEEEEEEELL!) from the crappy mucky dark, dark, DARK blue colour to multicolours. I am not joking, really, my mum said to me when discussing colours: "We thought it should be - dare I say it - 'TARD-ish'..." so now I've just sat down in a totally new room, TV in accessible distance for the first time _ever _with looooads of posters aorund the room. I have 2 DW ones, a Muse, South Park, Midnight Club, Hitman, Simpsons and Linkin Park posters. I would've got Torchwood but they weren't selling. £4.50 a poster! Can you believe that?! Still, I'll pay anything if I'm desperate...

Also got the four Doctor Who: Decide Your Destiny books, and I'm in love. So far (I've only read two at the moment) Alien Arena is the best. The Storybook 2008 should be arriving soon and...my God I can rant on.

Anyway. Hate this chapter. Thanks for sticking with me...promise it'll get gory :D

* * *

Chapter 13 – 'In-cape-a-ball Has-been'

"My blossoming Rose…blossoming…pronounce the syllables…my blossoming Rose."

The Doctor was holding the single piece of paper infront of him where he'd written a couple of lines of his vows, pacing back and forth through Jackie's living room wearing a hole in the carpet and repeating them over and over.

"My blossoming Rose, a glowing…glow, glowing red ruby in the heart of a sun." A sun? The sun? A, definitely.

_Why _was he finding it so difficult to learn these lines? Anything else he could practically memorise first read, but he was doing so much nit picking on such a small paragraph he was solely confusing himself – an extremely rare occurrence.

"Wait…my blossoming…red Rose?" No, that would imply she was constantly red-faced. The Doctor cleared his throat slightly, glancing around the deserted flat and hoping no one had somehow sneaked in without his knowledge and heard him. He pulled his tie loose a little more, carrying on, "my blossoming red…no, blossoming Rose, a glowing…shimmering? No, glowing red ruby in the heart of the…_a_ sun."

Satisfied with his first sentence he nodded to himself, running a hand back through his already worried-ruffled hair and frowning at he stared down at the next line he'd written.

"If these are my vows to be, then forever let them stand."

Forever? Was that long enough when you were talking about travel the entirety of space? He could say 'for an eternity', but then that would imply only one eternity…though eternities were _awfully _long…

He groaned loudly to himself, running a thoughtful hand down his face. He took another worried glance at the paper, just about registering the fact that it was all he'd written. He groaned again, dropping down into the sofa and putting his head in his hands.

He didn't know how long he remained there, staring at the floor with a sheer mass of blackness currently shrouding his brain. Rose had gone out for her last wedding fitting today and Jackie had taken Rory with them, mainly so the Doctor could sort himself out without interruption though partly because she didn't want to have to come home to a chocolate bombed flat again. The Doctor had lowly warned Rory that showing his granny his arm bandage would be a seriously bad idea to which Rory had acknowledged. It was the day before the wedding at 9:00pm and nervous energy had hit its peak throughout the Tyler family connection.

The Doctor for one thing seemed to be getting increasingly jumpy, and that wasn't wholly because of nerves. The other eighty percent was the attitude of his soon to be mother-in-law, taking every open opportunity to remind him finding a creature that wanted to take over the Universe would be a very, _very _bad thing the day before his wedding for both his relationship with her and his physical well-being.

The woman in question, Jackie Tyler, was finding being frantic a great pastime otherwise. Rose was getting more and more worried, Mickey was getting more and more jealous, Howard was trying to be as supportive as possible and Rory didn't really seem to give two monkeys about the entire thing.

Every guest had been phoned, the arrangements were in place and now he sat alone in the flat, staring at an old coffee stain spilt on the living room carpet. With another groan, the Doctor dragged his hands down his face and looked up, instead staring at the mirror on the wall across the painted room. He could see the kitchen doorway in it, still and silent save for the purple clad woman standing in its centre.

His eyes adjusted instantly to the figure, and he fixed his eyes to stare unblinkingly at the sleek purple outfit the person wore. If he blinked she disappeared, so he kept his eyes resolute, examining every inch of her to imprint into his memory.

She was a pale white woman with two eyes, two arms, one nose, one mouth, two ears…basically, humanoid in structure. She had what looked like strings of black hair floating out around her head like a halo. She had an immaculate flowing long purple dress that covered her feet well, making it appear as though she wasn't stepping, but _hovering_. Maybe she was.

She was magnificently beautiful, yet at the same time it felt like if you _did_ love this woman…thing, you would immediately be cursed for even daring to set eyes on her. She fixed him with a stare, raising her right arm and lifting it infront of her, merely a metre from him. He wanted to turn around and demand some answers from this woman, but he knew he couldn't even dare to try that. Wind was blowing all around the room making ornaments and pictures topple to the floor.

"Who are you?" he asked.

She didn't answer, that right hand of hers still extended, the fingers assuming a position as if ready to click.

"Who are you?" the Doctor repeated, but not really expecting an answer. She didn't give one. She gave him a fleeting smile instead as her fingers clicked, and suddenly the Doctor found himself collapsing back against the sofa in a dead faint.

Slowly and gracefully, she glided around the sofa until she hovered but a foot away from him. She lowered her hand to him and gently caressed his cheek – lovingly, tenderly.

"At last you're mine, Doctor…" she whispered, gesturing upwards with her hand and almost magically the Doctor's unconscious body lifted into the air, shrouded in an aura of purple. She was just set to fizzle them both out of existence when she heard a sudden scream of a voice from the front door. In a blur of panic she let go of the Doctor who fell to the carpeted floor, clicking her fingers once more and fizzling out of existence, the wind finally dying down.

"Doctor! We're back!" Rose called from the doorway, but her fiancé couldn't hear her. She entered the sitting room, expecting to find him pacing up and down in the same spot he'd been that very morning, but instead coming upon an extremely unnerving site.

Jackie moved in behind her, staring open mouthed around the room.

"Four hours we leave 'im! Four hours!!!" she fumed as she stared around at the windswept room, marching across the carpet to see if he was hiding behind the television in fright – but instead her hand flew to her mouth as the Doctor's still form registered in her mind, hiding just out of sight behind the sofa.

"What?" Rose asked, still holding a very tired and bored-looking Rory's hand. She moved with him around to see what Jackie was gaping at, before letting out a small scream of surprise of her own at the sight of the Doctor.

Within seconds she was down next to him, brushing back his hair and checking for a pulse to find one, going strong and constant. She gave him a small shake and kissed his cheek, hoping it would somehow bring him around.

"What the 'eck 'appened?" Jackie asked, kneeling down with a cushion in hand, slipping it under his head, before turning to check whether anything had been stolen.

"Daddy?" Rory asked from next to his mother, poking the man in question hard in the chest. He moaned slightly, hand rising to his heavy head as he slowly roused to consciousness.

"Doctor," Rose called again, and his eyelids fluttered open to look straight up at her. He looked confused for a moment, pushing himself onto his elbows and looking around the room.

"Where's…" he started, but then trailed off as he realised what must have taken place.

"Nothin's taken – Doctor what 'appened?" Jackie asked the disoriented Time Lord, who raised a hand, pointing to the mirror.

"I saw her…" he said, swallowing slightly as he recalled the power she had that overwhelmed him. "I tried to talk with her but she clicked her fingers and…I must've passed out."

"Her…" Rose repeated, frowning slightly. "You mean _her, _her?"

He nodded, and for once Jackie looked more than a tad confused.

"'Er?"

The Doctor waved his hand vaguely as he used Rory to get to his feet. "It's complicated."

"Thought we'd been burgled and they smashed your skull in then," Jackie admitted, ignoring his secretive manner. "Still, we can always 'ope."

It was Rose's turn to ignore her mum now. "Doctor if she can control you that easily then what's to stop her comin' back a second time and…doing whatever she want to do?"

"Nothing," he admitted ruefully, before raising a grin and conveniently changing the subject. "So, you got the dress?"

"It was _so _boring daddy," Rory suddenly answered loudly for the three. "Mummy and granny kept on asking me what I thought but they all looked the same…"

"No they weren't sweetheart…" Jackie started again, but Rory cut rudely over the top of her.

"Granny wouldn't let me go explore even though mummy said I could and granny said called you an 'in-cape-a-ball has-been' daddy," Rory beamed, proud he'd remembered the long words. "Then mummy said you weren't and granny argued back you were so I snuck off anyway and they didn't notice."

The Doctor ruffled his hair fondly. "Good boy, I do it all the time."

"Spent the last 'our lookin' for ya! D'you _know _'ow worried we were?"

Rose shrugged. "I wasn't."

Rory extended his arms to his dad, who picked him up and hugged him.

"Daddy told me how to look after myself."

Jackie, for once, could not argue with that. For once she was wordless, staring at the Doctor as she strived to find a suitable phrase.

"Go to bed," she said shortly as more of a command than a proposition, and the Doctor wasn't about to argue. "Bad luck to see each other the night before, obviously you don't 'ave that in your weird alien rituals…"

The Doctor sighed, kissing Rory on the forehead before setting him down on the floor. He crossed to Rose, gently cupping her chin and dabbing a kiss on her cheek.

"See you tomorrow, Miss Tyler," he muttered, and turned to leave the flat. She smiled, knowing the next time she saw him she would be within minutes of being his wife.

"You gonna be alright?" she asked anxiously. He turned one last time, giving her a smile.

"I'm always okay." He grinned, and fled before she could answer.

The flat door clicked shut.

* * *

**A/N: **I'll reply to all (if any) reviews this time, promise! I'm writing a sequel to Lector Manor, should be up in a matter of nanoseconds. I'll finish the western one and for anyone bothering to read the postDD one, err...do you mind it being gory yet love tragedy? As in "Let's smash the Doc's head in reeeeeeeeal bad..." though, with a purpose, of course. I don't torture him for fun, y'know. Well...ish. 


	14. Super Bob!

Chapter 14 – Super Bob!

A shrill ringing sound in his head was what snapped him out of his sleep-state.

It drilled into his brain as he jerked up to sitting position; unwittingly throwing Bob off of his chest who'd been sleeping there but second earlier, panting for air from the enthralling dream he'd just been plucked rudely out of. It had something to do with Jackie being a leprechaun in disguise…

Shaking his head to clear it, he tried to recall who and where he was. He glanced sideward at the glowing digital clock on his bedside table: 10:00am.

His eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets. His wedding to Rose was in half an hour! He looked up to the heavens of the TARDIS, whispering a 'thank you' as he realised it was her who had woken him up. He launched out from under the covers of his Rose-less double bed, legging it to the wardrobe instantly, not caring he was wearing a distinct lack of clothes – there was no one in the TARDIS apart from Bob and of course the TARDIS herself.

It was twenty-five minutes until the wedding when he'd finally finished dressing bar his shoes and socks. It took a further ten minutes to do his hair (Fluffy yet sticking up, that was how she liked it, wasn't it…?) before he tore it to his own bedside cabinet, bringing out a small velvet box in of which was concealed his own wedding ring to Rose, previously his mother's. It looked normal from a casual glance of any passer-by but up close it glowed and swirled with a little of the Time Vortex – these rings were amazingly expensive and extremely rare because of it, but it was worth it.

He took it out of the box and dropped it into his pocket, glancing at the clock – ten minutes. He opened the second bedside drawer and drew out a pair of odd socks, throwing them over his feet before dropping to the floor, searching underneath the bed for his converses.

They weren't there.

He stared for a moment, eyebrows lowering as he contemplated this new dilemma. Wardrobe. Maybe he'd missed them in his rush. They _had _to be the white ones, Jackie would kill his regeneration quicker than you could say 'Raxacoricofalipatorious' if he wore any of the others – they were all clammed in mud.

He was running so fast he completely missed the small blue Delorion hovering just outside the door, both mammals yelping with surprise as his foot caught the body and they both went smashing to the floor.

"Watch it, Bob!" the Doctor said loudly as he pushed himself up, looking at the Delorion scoldingly. Bob whined – but then the Doctor realised where his converses had actually disappeared.

"Bob I _need _that!" the Doctor cried as Bob chewed thoughtfully on the shoes he'd stolen a few minutes earlier. He reached over to the Delorion, making for the shoes…but Bob reeled, taking the converses with him.

"Yip, yip!"

"Bob, taking them would be a _very _bad idea…" the Doctor warned, reaching forward a little more again. Bob backed away. "Please Bob…"

He launched forward, but Bob was ready for him. The Delorion grabbed one of the shoes and darted to the right, completely evading the Doctor and pelting off down the corridor. The Doctor fell with and 'oof' to the floor, fumbling for the shoe Bob had left behind and shoving it on before running after the alien dog, yelling.

* * *

"You look beautiful Rose," her mother assured her as Rose looked into the mirror for the twenty-seventh time that morning, brushing back her hair. She glanced at her mother's watch again. 10:21am. He should be there by now. Biting her lip, she lifted her dress and started pacing once more.

Mickey rose from his chair, reaching out and resting a reassuring hand on her shoulder to stop her pacing. "Calm down Rose," he said gently, "happiest day of ya life, right?"

"Right," she muttered, not sounding entirely convinced. "What if she's got him? What if she comes back?"

"It's my fault," suddenly said a small voice of child from below, and Rose looked down at surprise to Rory standing staring at the floor by her feet. "Daddy got her from me."

Rose dropped to his height, sighing. "Nothin's your fault Rory, daddy got into this mess himself. Me and your daddy both love you, you know that, don't you?"

He nodded, but still stared at the ground. Rose drew him into a loving hug, placing a kiss on his cheek of reassurance. After a moment she drew back, straightening his bow tie and patting down his suit. She reached up to his bouncy hair and brushed a strand out of his eyes. Jackie had tried to comb his hair to its parting but Rory had wailed so much she began to think he really _was _the Doctor – so now his hair was just where he let it fall as always.

Rose sighed again, pushing herself to her feet. Mickey watched her carefully.

"I'll go to the TARDIS, see what's goin' on," he suddenly said, "maybe he's just a stickler for time."

Rose nodded, smiling slightly as she realised that was not in the least bit true, but was glad of his support. As Mickey disappeared Rose turned once more back to the mirror for the twenty-eighth time that morning.

* * *

"Heel! Heel! Bob! _Heel!!!" _

He wished it worked for the Delorion the same way it worked for Rory…

He'd been chasing the animal around the TARDIS corridors for ten minutes now – he was due at the church that very second and he was still only wearing one shoe…it was no good, he'd have to give up on Bob, back track to the wardrobe and-

He blinked, the flash of rich purple suddenly bright in his vision against the golden wall of the TARDIS interior.

She smiled at him, a beautiful enchanting smile. Her black hair swam out around her head with her hand raising once more upwards, those fingers pressed together ready to click.

"No…" the Doctor manage to call in a gasp as his head swam, limbs turned heavy and fog descended on his mind in the bucket loads. She was too strong; he couldn't do a thing but submit. He managed to raise his hand like her and stagger forward a few paces before she clicked, and he crippled unconscious to the floor.

She stepped forward towards him, kneeling down next to his sleeping form and cupping his chin, turning his head towards her. Gently and carefully, she lowered her lips to his and pressed a dab of a kiss on them.

"Sleep, my Doctor…" she whispered in his ear, resting a hand on his chest to teleport them out of the TARDIS.

"Doctor!" suddenly called a distant London accented voice, and the sound of footsteps on grating in a room close to them. "Doctor! It's ten thirty!"

She hissed disapproval, knowing she could not focus her energy without one hundred percent concentration.

"Doctor!" the voice was getting closer, "Doctor you're gonna be really late!"

She watched the doorway, waiting for the mortal to enter before she dealt with it. Seconds later Mickey Smith entered, eyes searching the corridor before he focused into the room they were currently residing in. His eyes first of all snapped to the purple clad woman, eyebrows lowering in confusion before they dropped to the Doctor on the floor – and confusion turned to horror.

He hovered between screaming like a little girl and running forward to confront her – he had to admit, the former sounded a little more profitable to his own well-being but he could hardly leave the Doctor here alone…

It didn't even matter anyway, because seconds later her hand flew out towards him and a vibrant purple beam of energy fired straight into his chest. He tried to yell out in surprise – but found he was suddenly completely paralysed into position, standing next to the doorway.

"Foolish mortal!" she spat, her voice evidently smooth and even when calm, but now it was agitated and impatient. "This does not concern you!!!"

Mickey Smith could only watch as she began to glow once more, resting a hand on the Doctor's chest.

_Wake up Doctor… _he pleaded inside his mind, trying I vain to move his limbs only to be met with the harsh feeling of defeat. _Please wake up…_

"Yip, yip!"

The sound of the barking startled both Mickey and the woman as her hand quickly drew away from him like she'd just been burnt.

"Yip, yip!"

Bob came bounding heroically into the room, still with the Doctor's second shoe grasped between his teeth. He saw the purple woman, and instantly knew the threat she posed to his master. He dropped the shoe and leapt over the Doctor's body to her side so he was between her and his master, lowering on his hind legs in a threatening protective pose, a growl of warning rumbling low in his throat with his tail waggling dangerously.

The woman managed to regain her pose as she realised what it was. A hard, evil smile broke out on her lips as she stared hard at the Delorion.

"Look at you, aren't you cute," she said without the slightest hint of softness in her tone. "I assure you, he's going to a far, _far_ better place with me."

Bob growled once more, baring sharp, gritted teeth. She began to raise her hand to the Delorion, but he was quicker. With a flash of pink fur Bob had snapped his teeth around her leg, shaking it around like a toy. She howled in agony for her torment, her form disappearing in a purple aura of energy as her control over Mickey dissipated instantaneously. He just about caught himself before staggering immediately over to the Delorion, patting his head applaudingly.

"Good boy!"

"Yip, yip!"

Mickey's attentions turned to the Doctor as he rested a hand on his shoulder and tried to shake him awake.

"C'mon…" he muttered, first of all not noticing the Delorion stroll past him whining but then registering him as he started licking the Doctor's face. Seconds later the Doctor's eyes fluttered open, and he lay dazed and confused on the floor. His eyes travelled over to huge hunk of blue fur currently licking over his face to the man kneeling next to him, dressed in a very posh looking suit.

"M…Mickey?" he asked tiredly.

"Your dog's slobberin' all over ya face," Mickey pointed out obviously, and the Doctor nodded.

"Delorion saliva has natural healing properties," he explained, pushing himself up and trying to remember what had just taken place. Her. "Did you see her?"

"Yeah!" Mickey nodded, enthusiastic. "She was like, talkin' 'bout me being a mortal and that she was gonna take ya to a better place!"

"You heard her speak?"

"Yeah, then she was like, I dunno, teleportin' you out or somethin' then Bob came in and bit her leg then she disappeared!"

The Doctor almost sighed with relief. If Mickey had seen her too, it meant she did actually exist, and it wasn't all in his mind. He wasn't going insane. He reached out to Bob and petted him fondly, promising him a treat after…after…

"What's the time?!" he instantly asked, launching to his feet and jamming on the second shoe Bob had left abandoned, already running towards the TARDIS doors before Mickey could even open his mouth to reply. Jackie was going to castrate him for this, he knew it. What if Rose thought he'd left her at the altar? She must've been panicking to send Mickey after him – though she could hardly be blamed with what had happened yesterday…

He ran.


	15. Doctor Who: The Wedding Uncut Part One

**A/N: **It's finally arrived! The wedding, a lovely two parter to chew on. (I _say _two parter but you just watch, it'll be four by the end of the week) and it's great fun to write!

For anyone who had the audacity not to watch the Sarah-Jane Adventures New Year's Special Luke'll get an explanation later.

I'd also like to add I've never ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever been to a wedding before so most of this is **Zombie Kitty** and guesswork. So it's...ah...I hear David's voice...Argos...must buy...ooo he sounds like in The Stone Rose...must...buy...Argos...(Snap) err, anyway, where was I? Soemthing about weddings. Welp. I don't know bog all, I'm afraid. It ends in a crap place too, but hey, at least I got most of the next chapter done! (For once)

* * *

Chapter 15 – Doctor Who: The Wedding (Uncut) Part One

"Well I don't know," Sarah-Jane Smith was saying as she adjusted her formal dress that had been locked away in her wardrobe for far too long now. "For a master of time itself he's not very good at keeping it, is he?"

"That's bad, right?" Luke said from next to her, staring blankly towards the front of the church through the stain glass window. Sarah-Jane looked towards the priest, now having a frantic chat with who Sarah-Jane could only presume was Rose's mother. The Doctor had really gone a messed it up this time.

"What is the purpose of this congregation, mum?" asked Luke's voice from next to her.

"This is a wedding, Luke, it's where two people pledge their love to one another and are recognised as a wedded couple in society," she replied as clearly as she could.

"You are not in a wedded couple, mum?"

"No, I'm not."

"Is that good or bad?"

She smiled gently at him, but did not reply.

Suddenly everybody in the church yelped in surprise as the sound of the church doors bursting dramatically open suddenly rang out, shortly followed by strained pants of air and running footsteps. Sarah-Jane turned to see the Doctor coming to a halt gasping for oxygen, doubling over and clutching at his chest.

"I'm here!"

The underlying muttering that had since escalated in the church died down instantly, as seconds later Mickey Smith tumbled carelessly in behind, almost head butting him as stopping proved a difficult task.

The two took a few seconds to try and regain their breath before tearing off once more down the aisle up to the rather frustrated looking Jackie and annoyed looking priest. If the entire church weren't watching Jackie would have slapped him there and then – but instead she just pushed him towards the priest, grabbing his bow tie and yanking it tighter. The Doctor choked as it tightened around his neck, struggling to undo it with one hand as Mickey bounded up next to him, also gasping for air.

"The TARDIS Doctor…" he grunted, audible to the entire church. "Why didn't…you just…use the…TARDIS…"

"It's…complicated…"

"Complicated…in that you…forgot!"

The organ music started up immediately out of nowhere, cutting the Doctor off of his retort. He straightened up as best he could, turning towards the end of the church to where he could see his beautiful bride in white standing beside Howard, acting substitute father. She looked stunning and his jaw had dropped long before she had taken her next step. Jackie had opted for a quick, short wedding, the basic factors – they were all atheist so it was pointless to start singing and praying.

But this was it. This was the moment. He was going to be a husband. John Sigma-Tyler, that was him. Father, husband, and universal pioneer. When he'd first met Rose so long ago in that Henriks store he would've never _dreamed _of having what he did now. He'd lost so much in the War he would've never had a family again when to lose them hurt so much.

He turned his head quickly back to Mickey who had now straightened, catching his gaze. They nodded to one another, decisive. No turning back.

Rose began to walk up the aisle; the sound of the organ obscenely loud in his ears as suddenly the entire world slowly turned, and began to watch him. But nothing could destroy the moment – not now, not ever. Daleks annihilated. Cybermen obsolete. The darkness of the world lifted, just for one day.

None of it mattered now. She was there, she was beautiful, and she was his. His eyes searched her over, taking in the beauty of her dress that flattened out her pregnancy a little bit, but she was too far along to entirely cover it. Besides: he liked seeing it, knowing that inside her was his tiny little Time Lady, tucked up warm and comfortable.

Howard led her by the hand, giving the Doctor a supportive wink, to which he flashed a smile back. Rory was tagging along behind holding the train of Rose's dress, looking unusually smart but his hair was still looking like a haystack.

They'd reached him and Mickey now, Howard guiding her to stand infront of the Doctor before taking his place.

"We are present here today to witness the joining of these two souls in holy matrimony…"

The Doctor watched her face, eyes locked with hers as they stared into each other's gaze. His mind was a complete and total blank, never before had he felt so utterly helpless and manipulative.

"If anyone has any reason why these two should not be wed, then speak now – or forever hold your peace."

Silent seconds passed. Any Daleks or Cybermen would do well to enter now.

"Well, then…"

"I object!"

The church became absolutely silent as both the Doctor and Rose looked up in surprise towards the end of the church where a single man stood, arm raised in the air.

He jogged up the aisle towards the pair, waving casually to the shocked onlookers on either side as though he were the Queen. He reached the two lovers at the top end of the church, grinning his pearly white grin at each of them as the church remained in stunned silence.

"What is your reasoning, sir?"

Captain Jack Harkness' eyes fixed on the Doctor's, and his smile broadened even further.

"Because this man is _mine!" _he declared, before grabbing the Doctor's face in his own two hands and wrenching his entire head forward, smacking a huge great big slobbery kiss on the lips.

"Mmm!" the Doctor managed to say as he struggled desperately with Jack's grip, Rose collapsing with hysterics before Jack finally let go of the Doctor, who started to cough and choke and wipe his mouth desperately free of Jack germs.

"And this woman is also mine!" Jack drew Rose in much more carefully then he had with the Doctor, planting a soft, gentle kiss on her lips. He drew away from her, casting his gaze down to her womb. "Same one or different?"

"Different."

"_Another _one? Blimey, you two are at it like rabbits arentcha?" He lifted his head, grinning up at the priest. "Sorry to interrupt, carry on!" he waved a hand, stepping back from Rose and trudging down to the first row of chairs in the church, squidging himself next to Sarah-Jane who was smiling like mad.

Feathers ruffled a little, the Vicar turned back to the pair standing infront of him, hastily flipping through his book.

"If you would give the bride away, sir," the priest directed Howard. He nodded, grinning at the Doctor as he placed Rose's hand in his.

"She's all yers, Doctor," Howard said lowly. Giving the bride away, it was all about that in human ceremonies, wasn't it? Howard clasped their hands together for a moment, making sure they were firmly in each other's grip before he turned, taking Rory's hand and leading him to sit next to Jackie.

The Doctor stared at her hand in his for a moment, slightly unsure of what he was doing. He felt like an idiot talking to a white net for the entire service but it might be obscenely rude to lift it now…

"…Do you, John Sigma, promise you will love, comfort, honour and protect Rose Marion Tyler and be faithful to her as long as you both shall live?"

"I do."

"And do you, Rose Marion Tyler, promise you will love, comfort, honour and protect John Sigma and be faithful to him as long as you both shall live?"

She beamed. "I do."

The priest looked to the observers. "Does the congregation support and uphold these twos' marriage?"

"Hell yeah!" Jack shouted loudly over the din of approval, punching the air.

The priest was obviously denying his existence now. Wise move, the Doctor thought. "You have prepared your own vows?"

Rose nodded, and suddenly the Doctor slowly began to turn white. He tried to look as calm as possible as he strived in vain to remember what he had written on that piece of paper – coming up with the two sentences he'd scribbled and repeated over and over again.

_Uh oh._

* * *

**A/N:**_ Chapter 16 – Doctor Who: The Wedding (Uncut) Part Two_

___He'd never been nervous in all his lives and here he was, unable to speak. He looked up from his shoes, meeting Rose's gaze. She squeezed his hand; helping his nerves shift a little._

___He opened his mouth and forced his larynx to operate, managing to emit a tiny squeak as though he were a small helpless bunny rabbit sitting infront of the hunter's gun. Maybe he was. _

___ He looked back to the floor again. Silent seconds passed._


	16. Doctor Who: The Wedding Uncut Part Two

**A/N: **All credit and praise goes to **moonbean **for helping me out with the wedding! I have dabbled with it slightly, ignoring the most trivial stuff like pointless prayers and that which would take up valuable space. That being said, it's 2100 words long which means it a slightly longer chapter overall. It's gone onto three parts now, we've got the session outside and I'm yet to decide whether I'm gonna bother with a reception coz I read Fayth3's fic yesterday and I can't _possibly _top that. So if you want to see a good reception read hers and pretend it's the Doctor and Rose getting married instead :P Less work for me:D

* * *

Chapter 16 – Doctor Who: The Wedding (Uncut) Part Two

Jackie suddenly got up from the side and trotted to Rose, handing her a piece of paper with a huge speech printed messily onto it. She had her life story and he had a memory chamber full of cobwebs.

"I haven't really gone over these vows, so I'm a bit rusty," she apologised, a little to the crowd but more to the man currently standing infront of her. She cleared her throat, looking down to the paper in her hand. "I thought about these vows long and hard, and to be honest, I found it really difficult to think of them. The year I've known you has really flown by for me, so much fun and change at every turn it's been like riding a roller coaster.

"We've been through so much together and you've almost always been the one to lead us both through. Not only that but you've always _been _there, whenever I thought the worst was gonna happen there you were, smiling like nothin' was happenin' and puttin' everythin' right.

"The changes we've gone through – although you've _definitely _changed more…" – the Doctor beamed – "…my life is worth livin' because every day to you isn't get up, go to work, eat chips and go to bed, it's get up, crash land the TARDIS, fall in a plot to take over a planet, escape the gunfire, put things right, go back to the TARDIS, eat chips _then _go to bed.

"There's nothin' I can possibly vow to you because there's really nothin' I can do. The only thing I can vow to you is that I'll always be here, I'll always love you and Rory, I'll stop you when you go too far and keep you sane. If something happens to either one of us – which it won't – I know that we're both capable."

The entire church burst into applause, and Rose watched with untainted amusement as the Doctor suddenly tore his gaze from her, and looked directly towards the floor with his cheeks flushed red in deep embarrassment.

The applause started to die as the Doctor's mind went with it, his body now fully seized up.

Everyone had calmed now, a few coughs and it was back to silence. Everyone was waiting patiently for him. He'd given speeches debating the second Law of Time to an entire assembly of Time Lord officials in his second year, no less than seven hundred superior Time Lords watching from the stands critically, assessing his every word. This was absolutely nothing compared to that and then he hadn't been _remotely _nervous. Why here? Why now? He'd never been nervous in all his lives and here he was, unable to speak. He looked up from his shoes, meeting Rose's gaze. She squeezed his hand; helping his nerves shift a little.

He opened his mouth and forced his larynx to operate, managing to emit a tiny squeak as though he were a small helpless bunny rabbit sitting infront of the hunter's gun. Maybe he was.

He looked back to the floor again. Silent seconds passed.

Then without any warning at all, he was making some sort of sound, his mouth forming words out of the strange droning sound coming out.

"Rooe…Roz…Rose," he found the word on the third try, tongue tripping rather distinguishably over the syllables, he thought. "We…well, I…don't think I've ever been so nervous in my entire life and that's really saying something. I don't know why I'm actually nervous, I've got no reason to be really…I'm usually quite good at talking but right now I'm totally speechless. I didn't, or rather, I _couldn't _write my vows, so I'm gonna make 'em up now."

He looked up at her, two beautiful eyes staring back at him full of apprehension of the words he was about to say. They clicked. Oh thank Rassilon, he could remember the sentences.

"My blossoming Rose, a glowing red ruby in the heart of a sun – rare and virtuous, beautiful and true. If these are my vows to be, then forever let them stand."

Right, that was it. He was on his own now.

"I vow if I take your hand always I could feel your radiance, the fire that burns within your heart, burning as bright as summer and double the pleasure. If I take your hand now, I vow to show you the Universe and be back in time for tea. If I take your hand now I vow to be your husband, not just for eternity, but another few aswell.

"I vow to carry you forth in a field of gold, and hold you tight in my arms – never looking back to a past of dark. Rose, Rose, my bright-eyed Rose, if you'll be my Juliet I'll be your Romeo, wanting to be with you, wanting your touch, your kiss. Your gentle voice caressing my every emotion, my every aching muscle sudden healed once more.

"I vow to call to you Rose: from the highest of peaks, the lowest of valleys, the twistiest…" – he winced at the word, unable to find any other – "…of streams, the longest of paths. My feet shall not tire and my hearts will not ache…as long as you're with me. I'll take you to the stars; I'll take you to the moon. I'll even take you to McDonalds if that's what you want.

"I vow to never stop fighting in your name, I'll protect you, Rory and our baby girl until the end of time itself. I vow not to let harm come to any of you, but if it does, then whoever or whatever caused it will pay.

"I vow forever to stand by my words. Rose, Rose, my beautiful Rose, if I don't stay true to the words I have spoke, then kick me in the balls – I'll deserve it."

Okay, not the most sophisticated of endings but he felt it worked well in contrast. The whole building was in stunned silence with the words that had just come out of his mouth, as if waiting for the bride's approval.

Rose was staring at him, eyes watering with sheer joy.

"Oh Doctor…" she whispered, though her voice echoed around the church interior. "That was so beautiful…"

_Phew._

The church audience burst into applause as relief cascaded through the Doctor like a gushing river, closing his eyes and bowing his head to the floor once more. The church slowly began to silence once more as the priest spoke again:

"And now, a couple of readings."

The Doctor watched Mickey as he made to speak to the audience, a slip of paper clutched tightly in one hand. The Doctor had no idea what Jackie had arranged so it was going to be as much of a surprise to him as it would be to everyone else.

"Let me not to the marriage of true minds,

Admit impediments. Love is not love

Which alters when it alteration finds,

Or bends with the remover to remove…"

Shakespeare, the Doctor realised as the complex words toppled in a well-rehearsed fashion from Mickey Smith's lips. Sonnet 116, if he wasn't mistaken.

"O no! it is an ever-fixed mark

That looks on tempests and is never shaken;

It is the star to every wandering bark,

Whose worth's unknown, although his height be taken.

Love's not Time's fool, though rosy lips and cheeks

Within his bending sickle's compass come:

Love alters not with his brief hours and weeks,

But bears it out even to the edge of doom.

If this be error and upon me proved,

I never writ, nor no man ever loved."

The Doctor gazed past the veil into Rose's eyes, just about making out the deep brown of her eyes as she stared up at him, lovingly. The church burst into applause as the vicar made to carry on – but then a loud voice interrupted.

"I've got somethin' I'd like to recite," Jack said, and the Doctor smiled slightly as he saw the vicar slowly falling way to impatience.

"Yes?" he asked curtly.

Jack grinned, withdrawing a piece of paper out of his pocket and getting onto his feet. He walked over to the bride's side, offering a hand out to Rory. They boy's eyes flickered to his fathers, who nodded reassurance of this strange new man. Rory beamed, taking the hand and following Jack as he got onto the stage.

"I'll help you with the big words," Jack whispered in the child's ear as he knelt down behind him, holding the paper out infront of them both with his head over Rory's shoulder. Rory nodded, looking at the letters printed into words and trying to make sense of them.

"Love…" Rory started, but instantly frowned at the next word. Jack caught him with a safety net.

"Vaunteth."

"Vaunteth not its-elf, is not puffed up, do…"

"Doeth."

"Doeth not bee-have its-elf un…s-seem-ly. Seek-ith not her own. Is not ease-ally provoked. Think-ith no evil. Re…re…"

"Rejoiceth."

"Yeah that, not in in-eckquit-ee, but rejo…do that word in the truth. Bear-ith all things. Be-leeve-ith all things. Hop-eth all things. Endure-eth all things. Love never fails."

Rory grinned as he came to an end, looking up at the Doctor for praise. His dad was grinning and clapping his hands applaudingly, truly proud of his efforts. The church chorused an 'aww' as Jack lead the child back to his seat, back to the care of Jackie Tyler. He gave her a wink- but said no more. Jackie's heart fluttered.

"The rings?"

Mickey launched forward instantly, eager to play his part in this with perfect precision. He reached inside his jacket pocket and withdrew his clenched fist, opening to reveal one ring sitting in his palm. The Doctor paled incredibly, blinking at the singular ring Mickey held before patting himself down, trying in vain to find it.

The Doctor suddenly went white as he realised he had not infact given the ring to Mickey. He started to pat himself down quickly, earning a few rolls of the eyes from the audience as he finally struck lucky, pulling out something small and golden from within. He gave it to Mickey, who handed both rings to the minister.

"The wedding ring is a symbol of eternity. It is an outward sign of an inward and spiritual bond which unites two hearts in endless love. And now as a token of your love and of your deep desire to be forever united in heart and soul, you John, may place a ring on the finger of your bride."

"Rose, I give you this ring as a sign of our marriage. With my body I honour you, all that I am I give to you, and all that I have I share with you, within the love of God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit," the Doctor said, pushing the ring onto her finger.

"By the same token Rose, you may place a ring on the finger of your groom."

"Do-John," she hastily corrected herself. "I give you this ring as a sign of our marriage. With my body I honour you, all that I am I give to you, and all that I have I share with you, within the love of God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit." She pushed the ring onto his finger, letting her hand stay there for a moment before drawing it away.

"In the presence of God, and before this congregation, John and Rose have given their consent and made their marriage vows to each other. They have declared their marriage by the joining of hands and by the giving and receiving of rings. I therefore proclaim that they are husband and wife. Those whom God has joined together let no one put asunder. You may now kiss your bride."

So he did.

He lifted the veil carefully off of her face, seeing a beautiful Rose Tyler – correction – Rose _Sigma_-Tyler staring right back at him. He smiled gently at her, leaning forward and tilting his head as their lips met. Not surprisingly, the next thing the Doctor heard was Jack saying, "ooo!" as the entire church erupted into applause and cheers at the sight now before them.

They parted, turned and knelt down infront of the minister together still holding hands.

"The Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious unto you. The Lord lift up the light of his countenance upon you, and give you peace."

This was it. They were married. He couldn't quite believe it was happening as he pushed himself onto his feet beside her, pulling her gently onto two feet. The wedding theme was obscenely loud in his ears as they turned towards the aisle and began to walk towards a new life, Rose tossing the bouquet of flowers she held over her shoulder. The entire congregation were whooping and applauding and the Doctor couldn't help but smile. He turned just in time to see the bouquet land, rather conveniently on K9's back.

He broadened his smile.


	17. Doctor Who: The Wedding Uncut Part Three

**A/N: **Sorry this has taken so long! I never said these wedding chapters would be coming out of my ears. I have _no _idea what to do for the reception either. Recently I decide to completely switch my plot around so now the baby's gonna be born BEFORE the big almighty catastrophe you can just see over the horizon, leaving me a lil more slack. Tch. The things I do.

* * *

Chapter 17 – Doctor Who: The Wedding (Uncut) Part Three

"C'mon, pose for the camera!" Jack said as he took Jackie's camera out of her grasp and held it up childishly to snap the Doctor and Rose in a picture. Rose beamed, and the Doctor's already jaw splitting grin widened impossibly further as he wrapped a possessive arm around Rose. Jack snapped the picture and threw Jackie back the camera with another captivating flash of pearl white teeth.

"Jack, that's my _mum!" _Rose warned him almost in hysterics. Jack smoothed back his hair, pulling his collar up a little.

"That explains why she's so feisty!"

The Doctor tried his best to block their conversation out.

"Mummy! Daddy!" yelled a sudden voice from below and the Doctor looked around just in time to see Rory speeding towards them, in his tow four people Rose found _impossible _to believe were there.

"Shareen! Keisha! Trish! Paris!" Rose exclaimed as the Doctor dropped to Rory's height just in time to nearly be knocked over by the boy running and grasping him into a hug.

"Rose darlin'! You look so pretty!" Shareen gave her a friendly hug. "By the way, your little boy is so sweet!"

"Yeah Doc, what's his name?" Jack asked already smiling at the three new girls in turned. They all giggled.

"Rory," the Doctor answered, shooting Jack a glare. He rolled his eyes, dropping to his knees and ruffling the boy's hair. Rory drew away from his father, glaring at Jack as he patted his hair back down again. "And Rory, this is Jack. Your…" he paused for a moment, "…uncle."

"Hey I'm promoted!" Jack grinned. "I'm insulted he wasn't named Jack by the way Doctor."

"I couldn't bear the memories," the Doctor answered absently, picking Rory up and holding him to his chest. Rory wrapped his arms around his father's neck and held on tight.

"Daddy I love you," he said, obviously vouching for the cute vote. He got it.

"He's so _cute!" _one of the girls said in a high-pitched voice, looking over at the boy in his dad's arms. The others also turned to stare at the two, 'aww'ing and 'coo'ing accordingly.

"I don't remember you 'avin' a baby boy Rose," Paris added as an afterthought, and suddenly Rose was put in an extremely uncomfortable position.

"He's very mature for his age," the Doctor cut in quickly to save her. "He's a year old but people think he's more."

"Oooo!" the girls chorused together, before attentions turned from Rory to the Doctor. A couple licked their lips. The Doctor warily backed away.

"John!" said a very welcoming voice suddenly from the side, and the Doctor turned to see Sarah-Jane standing smiling at him, a brown-haired teenage boy standing beside her.

"Hello Sarah-Jane," he said with a return smile, strategically moving over to her and leaving the four immature girls in the dangerous company of Jack.

"So ladies…"

Rose rolled her eyes, turning away from the sight before her to watch the Doctor and Sarah-Jane settle down on a bench just across the green, Rory in the Doctor's lap whilst Sarah-Jane was accompanied by…was that a teenage boy?

She smiled to herself, holding up her left hand with the ring on and looking down at it with a large amount of pride. She'd have to ask the Doctor about it. He always seemed to surpass himself now for her and sometimes she felt like she wasn't good enough for him.

Still, she always tried her best. Her best was all she could be and she'd just have to hope that was enough for her now husband. It felt so weird to say that, even though they'd made love a countless number of times now. But now they were married, they were officially a recognised couple. Rose Sigma-Tyler, now that was a _name._

She looked back over to the Doctor still chatting with Sarah-Jane; glad he was hers. She made her way through the crowd to the two on the bench, sketching a little half wave to them both. The Doctor shot her a grin.

"And this is my lovely wife, Rose Sigma-Tyler," he beamed to Sarah-Jane.

"You look very pretty Rose," Sarah-Jane said with a return smile to the permanent one Rose had on her face.

"Thank you," she said happily, looking over at the teenage boy sat next to Sarah-Jane, unusually quiet, Sarah-Jane thought. "Who's this then?"

"He's my adopted son, Luke," Sarah-Jane explained, "he was an experiment of the Bane Mother's when Bubble Shock started to control people's minds."

Rose rolled her eyes with a huge smile. It made sense that Sarah-Jane would only have a son in something to do with an invasion. Rose carefully got down onto her knees infront of Rory, brushing back his hair in a motherly way. Rory reached out with two tiny hands, resting them on his mother's womb.

"Little mummy," he declared proudly. "Auntie Sarah-Jane I'm gonna have a little sister!"

"Having a little sister is a big responsibility you know."

"I know, daddy said I gotta protect her from evil stuff!" Rory yelled, taking his hands off of Rose's womb and formed one of his hands into a gun, shooting off into the distant with a yelled 'bang'. Seconds later there was a cry of surprise and Jack was staggering towards them, hand on his chest.

"You shot me!" he moaned, the Doctor noticing he seemed to have lost the four girls somewhere along the way. Rory giggled as Jack got onto his knees beside Rose, giving her a friendly squeeze of a hug.

"Hey Rosie!"

Rose growled, "how many times Jack? Call me that again and I'll castrate you with a pair of eyebrow tweezers."

Jack waggled his eyebrows seductively. "I'll look forward to it."

"Mum, surely castration is impossible to perform with a pair of eyebrow tweezers?" Luke proposed suddenly from nowhere, and all heads were suddenly turned towards him. "The force of the metal would be very little on…"

"Luke!" Sarah-Jane interrupted, "what did I tell you about stating the facts in general conversation?"

Luke winced. "I am sorry mum. I am now feeling guilt. Is this good or bad?" Sarah-Jane chose to ignore him as she guided him onto his feet, her following.

"I'd better go now, K9's already in the car."

"Aww," Jack started as he got onto his feet. "Not gonna come to the reception? I already spiked the drinks." He winked.

"No thanks, must get back to saving the Universe," she joked, turning to leave – but not before the Doctor had got up from the bench and given her a hug. Then Rory appeared with his puppy dog eyes, staring up at her pleadingly, arms spread out. He got one too.

Rose was next in line, Sarah being careful of her womb as they embraced. Just as she drew back Jack appeared, smiling and holding his arms out. He also got one.

"I'm Cap'n Jack Harkness, by the way."

"I'm Sarah-Jane Smith."

"Doctor!" suddenly came a shrill voice from the other side of the green, and the Doctor turned to see Jackie Tyler waddling speedily towards him with half of the neighbourhood in tow, camera in hand. "Photo!"

"Curtain call," the Doctor announced to the others, waving goodbye to Sarah-Jane as Jackie grabbed his shirt and dragged him back towards the front of the church. Rose turned to Sarah-Jane one last time.

"I'll see you again soon, yeah?"

She nodded. "Remember, if you ever need me, I'm always here."

Rose smiled. "I'll remember that."

"Rose!"

Rose turned as Jack scooped up Rory, the group of them rushing back to the group gathered around the church front.

"Now Doctor I want you to stand there…" Jackie obviously was trying to make the impression she was a professional photographer as she guided the Doctor to stand infront of the church steps. "Rose sweetheart! Over here!"

Minutes later Jackie Tyler stood back to admire her handiwork: the Doctor and Rose in the middle, Jack kneeling down infront of them with Rory perched on his shoulders. Howard stood behind the Doctor and Rose, their left. Jackie bustled Shareen to take the picture, since a professional photographer had been something Jackie had neglected in her preparation and her digital camera was good enough anyway, she reasoned.

Jackie scuttled back over to the group, taking her place on the Doctor's right. She took a quick glance around at them all, almost shrieking as she saw the mud all over Rory's trousers.

"Rory sweetheart what've you been _doin'?!" _she shrieked and the Doctor groaned, getting impatient. Howard also rolled his eyes and quietly produced a secreted apple from his pocket, taking a few well-deserved bites. It was at that precise moment Mickey's phone decided to vibrate against his hip, and he took it out and checked for a new text message.

Whilst Jackie tried to confront Rory the Doctor turned to Rose, gently taking her in his arms and placing a kiss on her lips. She smiled, kissing back and wrapping her arms around his neck. Shareen caught this from behind the camera.

"Aww how _cute!" _she said with a girlish giggle, finger pressing down on the button to take it. She caught the Doctor and Rose well in mid movement (Currently investigating the interior of each other's mouth) but not so well for the others. Howard was still munching inconspicuously on an apple, Mickey was in the process of sending of a text message, Jackie's face was morphed into an expression of annoyance at the Doctor's son as he beamed broadly at the camera, yanking harshly on Jack's hair – the owner of which currently had his mouth open to cry out pain.

"Yep," Jack noted but a few minutes later as he, Rose, Rory and the Doctor headed back to the TARDIS to take a rest before the reception later that day, him staring at a copy of the photo in his hand. "Best wedding photo ever."


	18. Sex Education With Captain Jack

Chapter 18 – Sex Education With Captain Jack

"Awww, that's a _baby!" _Jack said rather obviously, pointing at the ultrasound picture on the plasma screen of the TARDIS Infirmary, currently displaying a new ultrasound image of a big headed baby curled up into a ball, sleeping.

"Really, Jack?" the Doctor said sarcastically, adjusting the image to colour so it was a little clearer. "I thought it was a lung."

"But…that's a mini-Doctor in there!" Jack ignored him, elated at the prospect of the baby girl. The Doctor took off the ultrasound plunger, wiping the gunk off of Rose's womb before running both of his hands over the swell firmly.

"Ooo…" he muttered, taking Rose's hands into his own and gently rubbing them where he had been.

"Wow!" she exclaimed, staring into his eyes. "I can feel her."

"Lemme feel?" Jack asked, moving over and placing his hands next onto Rose's skin. "Hmmm…" He felt around the bumps. "There's the head…a leg…another leg…an arm…another leg…another head…"

The Doctor sighed despairingly, taking Jack's hands off of Rose. "That's quite enough Jack," he said seriously, turning off the monitor.

"Bet she'll be pretty like you Rose," Jack flashed her a grin, giving her a quick squeeze of a friendly hug to which she returned. The Doctor packed away the ultrasound equipment away as he glanced at the clock on the Infirmary wall, set to the time of the planet they were currently residing on, Earth. It was two o'clock. The reception was at eight in the George – a pub near to Jackie's flat so they could all have a good time with the alcohol.

"Daddy!"

They all turned to see Rory suddenly by the Doctor's feet, clutching a toy dog (One of the broken electronic toys Jackie had left in her loft and given to Rory) in one hand, a screwdriver in the other.

"Look daddy! I fixed it!" he said with glee, pressing a button concealed on its belly and placing it on the floor. It was a very old toy, a simple dog which was supposed to walk along the ground at a painfully slow pace by moving feeble plastic back legs and front legs in accordance with each other. The instant Rory placed it on the floor it yapped a warped electronic bark and instantly started galloping around the ground in a frenzy, wonky legs meaning it travelled in a constant rapid circle.

After a few circles it stopped, and completely out of the blue did a back flip. Jack whooped and applauded at the sight. It did a few more circles and back flips before it suddenly stopped – and started to emit a low frequency buzzing noise.

The Doctor instantly knew what was coming. He launched over to Rory and grabbed him tightly, making sure he was shielded from the blast. He flashed a look over to Jack – who thankfully got the message and dealt with Rose.

Milliseconds later, the dog exploded.

The Doctor turned back with Rory in his arms, eyes resting on the black charred mess the dog had suddenly become.

"Almost there Rory," the Doctor said cheerfully.

"How did you know that was gonna explode?" Jack wanted to know, and the Doctor shrugged.

"I've been the cause of something like that too many times." For a brief moment Jack and Rose could imagine a five-year-old Doctor 'tweeking' with his toys only to result in several mild explosions. It was a wonder the TARDIS was still functioning.

"Sorry daddy," Rory said meekly into his shoulder. "I was bored."

"Yeah…" the Doctor began, then realised _why _Rory was bored. "Oh, wait…Rory, I'm so sorry, it completely slipped my mind…"

"What did you mess up this time?" Jack asked mildly as he let go of Rose, helping her onto her feet. The Doctor winced.

"I was supposed to teach him today…"

"What? Algebra?"

The Doctor shifted uncomfortably. "No, how to write."

Jack instantly looked aghast at the Doctor as though he'd just said a rude word. "He doesn't know how to _write _yet?"

"We've been a bit busy and-"

Jack cut him off, rolling his eyes at the Doctor's feeble excuse. "Give him to me. I'll have him readin' Shakespeare and workin' out Pythagoras by the end of the week."

The Doctor smiled thankfully at him, giving Rory a kiss on the forehead before holding him out to Jack.

"Sex education doesn't come until he's a little older Jack," the Doctor reminded him as Jack took the boy from him and hoisted his up in his arms.

"To the library!" Jack declared, and disappeared out the door. The Doctor looked back to Rose, giving her a flash of a grin.

"Doctor, I've been thinkin'…" she began as he moved towards her, pulling her gently onto two feet.

"Whoa, don't strain yourself." He grinned, still with his hands linked in hers. She hit him lightly on the arm, laughing.

"No, really. Don't you ever think about the future?"

The Doctor frowned for a moment, clicking his tongue in contemplation as thoughts rushed through his head.

"All the time. Think about the past and present too, gotta know your perspective. I mean, if I just landed here in _this _time I have to be thinking about what happened in the past that I should be aware of to lead to such an existence that I'm in at the present..."

Rose blinked.

"…Also, when you've just landed _in _the present you might have your mind a little in the future, say if I started talking about what a riot Queen Elizabeth's Coronation was – which incidentally, she _begged _me to walk her to the throne – and the year was 1952, everyone would be saying 'hey what're you _on _about?!' and then I'd get sectioned…again…"

She prodded him gently in the chest, trying to gain his attention once more.

"…Which come to think of it, was actually _not _my fault. I mean, I know I can seem a little _eccentric _at times but you should've seen my first body! I was completely paranoid! There were these two teachers Susan had and they got onto the TARDIS and I whacked my head on a bad landing so then I blamed _them!" _

"No, no, no, no Doctor, what I _meant _was…"

He smiled sheepishly, cutting over the top of her, "I know what you meant. And whatever you're thinking now, forget it."

"But how can I? One day I'll die and you'll be left with Rory and Jade."

"…Jade?" he repeated, bemused.

She sniffed. "I thought it was a good name."

He broadened his smile. "I like it too."

"But at any rate, they're both gonna grow up and I'm gonna grow old with them. Mum'll die first, at the rate she smokes probably before Rory can even get a drivin' license…then as Rachel…" – the Doctor rolled his eyes at the next new name – "…gets hers I'm gonna be dribbling and knitting scarves in a rocking wicker chair talking about cats…"

"Rose…" the Doctor began slowly, resting his hands on her shoulders and staring into her eyes enchantingly. "You're twenty – in sixteen years you will not be dribbling, knitting and talking about cats unless something is seriously wrong with you. _Jack'll _be the one doing all that, not you."

For some reason, Rose could imagine a bald Jack sitting in the TARDIS Console Room with his knitted woollen hat halfway through creation, moaning about the 'younger generation' as Rory grabbed a pair of tweezers and tried to yank the hair protruding from out of his ears. She stifled a giggle.

"Besides," he carried on, "what if I don't live as long as you do? I mean, I could get flattened by a bus tomorrow. Four times."

There was a momentary pause as Rose just stared at him blankly.

"Thanks for that," she muttered, trying to get the images out of her head. He gave a toothy grin.

"No problem. Let's just forget about it, right?"

"But how can I?"

He sighed and reached up, cupping her cheek fondly before she leant into him, head resting on his chest. He kissed her gently on the back on the neck.

"I'm just saying that you really shouldn't worry about stuff like that. It's all in the future for us, and for once I have no idea what's going to happen. Of course we're going to die, it's natural, but right now all we've got to worry about is Rory and Kerry."

Rose paused for a moment. "Ooo, Kerry's good."

"Ruby?"

"Oh that's even _better…" _

"Rover?"

Rose just stared.

* * *

**A/N: **Quick post, then gots to _ruuuuuuuun! _I am really not wanting to do this reception thing, I've got a bit after that amounts to a reception but I don't think I can do the reception itself, if it does get done it'll be like a paragraph of the comings and goings... 


	19. Doctor Who: The Reception Uncut

**A/N: **I need to sleeeeeeeeeeeep...here's my stab at the Reception, sorry it's rubbish but I DID warn you...

* * *

Chapter 19 – Doctor Who: The Reception (Uncut)

"ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ!" Rory was saying over and over again as the Doctor took a swig of lager from his pint glass on the table. Dance music was pumping out of the speakers heavy on the bass; everyone was dancing in the middle of the pub wildly with no concern for whom they were dancing _with_. "One two three four five six seven eight nine ten! One two three four five six seven eight nine ten! I can write all of 'em daddy!"

"So you said," the Doctor said as enthusiastically as he could.

"Un deux trois quatre cinq seis sept huit neuf dix! Un deux trois quatre cinq seis sept huit neuf dix! Uno dos tres cuatro cinco seis seite ocho nueve diez! Uno dos tres cuatro cinco seis seite ocho nueve diez! Me llamo Rory! Como te llamas? Bonjour! J'ai un maison, c'est grande! Je parle francais, j'adore ca! J'ai un Delorion, il s'apelle Bob! Mon Oncle Jack est tres super!"

"Aww he's so _cute!" _the girls were bustling over the infant again, all of them tipsy. Rory just beamed in his cute way, sitting on the bar table the Doctor was at and reaching forward towards his dad's pint glass.

"Uh, no," the Doctor said immediately with a grin, taking the pint glass swiftly away and draining the rest of it in one gulp. He frowned for a moment as a wave of dizziness washed over him, his hand on his head. "Ooo…" he moaned. "Not good..."

"You're drunk from _one _pint?" Jack's loud voice suddenly cut over his moans and seconds later the man himself appeared infront of him, sliding into the chair the other side of the table with another two pint glasses in his hands. He pushed one over to the Doctor, and then noted the Time Lord's bewildered expression at Jack's generosity. "If I get you drunk enough maybe I can lure you into havin' sex with me."

"Why get _me _drunk when probably everyone of these girls would have sex with you without the need of fermented vegetable drinks?"

Jack shot back another grin. "No one's as pretty as you Doc," he countered.

"And anyway, I've had seven now and I'm not even _slightly _inebriated. Time Lord's don't get drunk."

"Really…!" Jack started sarcastically, leaning forward a little to address the Doctor in hushed tones through Rory's held gaze. "How was it Rosie got pregnant with baby Rory, then?"

The Doctor decided to swiftly change the subject.

"Where is she anyway? I swear she went to the toilet ten minutes ago."

Jack just shrugged. "Haven't seen her on the dance floor."

The Doctor paused for a moment, clicking his tongue as he mulled it over. Finally, he got up onto his feet, brushing himself down.

"I'm gonna look for her. Keep an eye on Rory, would you?"

"Sure," Jack said as he raised his pint glass and winked at the Doctor. As the Doctor turned away he distinctly heard the words, "now Rory, half pint or full?" and he rolled his eyes, stepping out into the bustle of the crowd only to be confronted seconds later by an extremely unsteady Jackie.

"Oh sorry Do'or…" she slurred as he just about stopped her falling to the floor, her right hand deliberately clutching his tie whilst her left reached up, running through his mop of brown hair. "Ya lookin' hawt tonigh'…"

"Likewise Jackie…" He hastily guided Jackie back to the dance floor and pegged it before she could make anymore sexual advances on him.

He searched everywhere for her; the pub wasn't exactly a phenomenally huge place but she was nowhere to be found. He eventually came across the Woman's Bathroom – somehow unconsciously hoping it wouldn't have to come to this – but thankfully Shareen was coming out of it. He quickly stopped her.

"Hey Shareen? Is Rose in there?"

She nodded. "Yeah, she said she was feelin' a little out of it. Must be completely smashed if you ask me. Either that or she's stoned."

His eyes widened at her words and also her assumptions, somehow not caring about the sign on the door anymore as he became instantly concerned for the welfare of his Rose, and his baby.

"Rose?" he called tentively, slipping in through the door to the room inside. It didn't take any time at all for his eyes to adjust, and he found himself staring across the room to Rose curled up in a corner, holding her womb and moaning slightly.

He dived towards her instantly; not at all caring he was standing in a restricted area to men as he rested his hands on her waist, guiding her to straighten up and look into her eyes.

"Rose, have you been drinking?!" he asked with an edge of angry disbelief to his voice, actually hurt she could even consider it with the baby currently swimming about contentedly in her womb. She shook her head, looking up to meet his eyes.

"I saw her, Doctor," she whispered, "she just sorta…stared at me…"

"_Her?" _he repeated, mortified at her words, "what did she do? Why didn't you tell me?"

"You'd have only got worked up, and I don't think she did _anythin' _to be honest."

"I think your body language would beg to differ," he pointed out, resting his hands on her womb to check she was still there. Doing well.

"I feel fine, it was just a moment," she insisted, resting her hands on his own two currently examining her womb intently.

"You're six months along Rose, moments are gonna start being risk-" he was suddenly and rudely cut off by the sound of the door bursting open, or rather, crashing open. The Doctor instantly whirled around and threw out his arms to protect Rose with his body – before realising it was Jackie again and relaxing.

"What're you doing in here?!" he asked, intimidated by his belief it was the purple woman.

"What am _I _doin' in here?!" she shrieked, staggering over to the pair with her hands welded firmly to her hips, struggling to focus the two of them in her vision. "What're _you _doin' in 'ere?! I caugh' ya at it, didn't I? 'Avin' sex in a Woman's Toilet!"

"Jackie, get some coffee and sober up please," he replied shortly, taking Rose's hand and leading her straight past Jackie and out into the main pub. He caught Jack's eye, gesturing to the door silently. Jack nodded, moving forward to pick Rory up and join them out the door.

"Alright?" Jack commented as they slipped away from the proceedings and out onto the street.

"We have to move, she's around here somewhere Jack," the Doctor replied quickly, taking the now sleepy Rory and enveloping him in his coat as his head dropped onto his father's shoulder, pawing at his jacket.

"But we're safe in the TARDIS, aren't we?" Jack shot back. They'd told him about the 'purple woman' on the way back from the wedding, and she sounded a little daunting. "She can't get in, right?"

"Wrong. She's been in twice already. You're not safe while you're around me."

"Correction, _you're_ not safe while _we're__not_ around _you_."

The Doctor sniffed a little, slowing his pace a tad for Rose to keep up. He didn't want to admit it, but Jack was entirely right – yet he didn't want any of them to get hurt on his part.

"Doctor…" Rose moaned again, reaching out for his arm and tugging it gently. "Somethin' hurts…"

The Doctor was beginning to become overwhelmed, Jack could see. Even the Doctor had a limit to the amount of crises he could handle at any one time.

"Okay, okay, let's just get back to the TARDIS first shall we?"

But then she said something that completely knocked the wind out of his sails.

"…I think I'm goin' into labour."


	20. Nanny McJack

**A/N: **I know a fantastic way to cure a sore throat you can't feel in the morning - a very _hot _cup of tea. There is actually _no _pain _at all!_

I now have a roll of tissues sitting next to me and the bin crammed full of used tissues, I think I've run _out _of snot so now my brain is leaking out. I can't stop sneezing and the space between my eyes seems to be crushing my nose. But who knows. A oneshot might come out of this!

AND...I have fantastic news...

I'm allowed to write fanfiction for my first piece of GCSE coursework, a short story! (Or a oneshot, whatever you like..)

* * *

Chapter 20 – Nanny McJack

The TARDIS materialised into existence on the A&E pavement.

Jack was the first out, holding Rose in his arms as she softly moaned in pains of early labour. He hushed her, checking on the Doctor as he filed out still carrying the sleeping child. Since leaving him with Jackie was out of the question and he didn't want to leave the boy alone whilst Rose went through with this, so there was no choice but to take him with them.

The Doctor led the party straight in through the double doors up to the reception desk, where two lingering lifeforms with three eyes were busy filling out some paperwork.

"Hey!" the Doctor called, and they both turned at the same time. One eyed the infant currently snoozing in his dad's arms, whilst the other looked to Rose. "My wife's going into premature labour…"

He couldn't help thinking as he said the word that 'premature' was an incredible understatement. She wasn't supposed to go into a labour for another one-and-a-half months, equated to the baby growth of three months. This was early. Way too early. _She _had something to do with this; if anything happened to Rose or his daughter _She_ was going to regret it the next time _She_ showed up where _She_ wasn't wanted.

But as Rose disappeared on a gurney down the corridor, the Doctor finally felt the entire world coming down on his shoulders.

Jack saw this, guiding him by the shoulders to the waiting room, the Doctor only just about registering the fact there were some chairs there before he al-but collapsed into one, being careful not to disturb Rory. Scans, they had said. Well, they could do all the scans they liked. If Rose survived the baby definitely wouldn't, no matter what they did to try and save her. She wasn't mature enough – the Doctor knew that _without _scans – but he allowed himself to clutch desperately by his fingertips of the cracks of hope in the despair.

Jack looked sideward at the Time Lord, who was still holding onto Rory and staring ahead into the bleak white wallpaper of the room. They weren't the only ones in the room however – the room was totally silent yet there had to be at a dozen more lifeforms in the space with them, all staring blankly at their respective spots on the wall. Obviously it was some kind of routine around here. The only sounds actually present came from outside where the hustle and bustle of the alien hospital now seemed dull and distant, sealed from their cell.

"Hey," he nudged the Doctor, whispering in the silence of the room. The Doctor seemed to come out of the trance, blinking and looking back at him. "They'll both be fine. You got through last time, didn't you?"

"Not all of us," he replied in a distant voice. He snapped back to the present, holding Rory a little tighter. "I told her aborting her would be easier…she didn't listen…_I _didn't listen. I didn't listen to myself."

"I wouldn't have listened to myself either with a beautiful baby girl like that. I'm glad you didn't abort."

The Doctor stared at him, confused. "Why're _you _glad?"

Jack shot a grin back. "Don't you think I'd make a _great_ nanny?"

"You're planning on staying?"

Jack's grin faltered slightly, panning his best friend up and down for a moment. "Well, that is, if you'd like me too. Don't wanna come bargin' in and all that. Can understand if you and Rose want your privacy…"

Instantly the Doctor shook his head, almost rising to his feet in alarm. "No, no, wait, I didn't say that. I'd love to have you around. Just thought you'd want to be getting back to wherever it was you came from."

"Doctor, I've had long enough bein' where I was – I didn't hunt you manically down over a coupla centuries just to say hi and bye y'know. For now I wanna stay with you and Rose, and help you look after your children – coz let's face it, you're gonna need some help if they're anythin' like you."

The Doctor let go a laugh – one of relief. There was a flicker of a pause as the Time Lord looked to the ground, before finally looking up. "I'm surprised you haven't ask me about the Gamestation yet."

"Well, hasn't really been much of a chance, has there? First time I met you, you could've set a world record for the most number of broken bones after which you decided to take a nap, then I didn't see you 'til I tracked you down at the weddin' then since that everythin's been completely chaotic. My problems can wait. Rose's can't."

"Mr. Sigma-Tyler?" a new voice suddenly interrupted their conversation from the doorway, sending hopeful raised heads of nearby listeners back down to the ground with a sigh of remorse.

The Doctor rose to his feet. "Yes?"

"If you'd like to step this way sir…"

The Doctor turned back to Jack, lowering Rory carefully into his arms.

"Be back in a sec," he said, dropping a little to give the infant a quick kiss. He awoke, eyes bleary and unfocused.

"Daddy…" he said quickly, sitting up straight in Jack's arms.

"It's alright, I'm just going to go check on your mummy okay? Uncle Jack'll look after you for a while." He slipped his hand inside his jacket pocket and drew out the Sonic Screwdriver, holding it out to Rory who took it, bemused. "You can look after that 'til I get back. Don't break it, I'm very fond of it." He got up once more and headed to the door, turning one last time as he caught Jack's gaze. "By the way…thanks."

He disappeared.

* * *

"Uncle Jack…" 

Jack looked down at the child sitting on the waiting room chair beside him, legs waving back and forth and hands clutched into the edge of the seat, staring up at him with wide, cute eyes.

"Yeah?"

"I need weewee."

Jack grinned, ruffling the boy's hair. "Gents is that way, kid." He pointed over to the right of the waiting room, where a big blue door was standing, formidable looking.

"Too late, Uncle Jack."

Jack didn't seem to heed the words and he got onto his feet, straightening out his shirt. "Well, if you need help, I guess I could be a potty trainer for a day."

"Too late, Uncle Jack," Rory repeated smally, still waggling his legs back and forth.

"…What?"

"I already went weewee."

"Oh. Okay then, no problems," Jack said as he sat down again, staring once again at the far wall.

"It's all wet now."

Jack's eyes widened as the penny dropped.

"_Oh…" _Jack realised, looking down at the boy with the smiling innocent face. "You already _went_ weewee."

He nodded. "Gone all warm."

Jack stared at him, not quite sure how to handle this. Finally he made a decision, getting on his feet and taking Rory's hand.

"I've never changed a nappy before…" Jack warned him as they moved to the desk. "I think it's like changin' a tyre." He walked up to the desk, ringing the bell as a lifeform turned to serve him, rifling through some paper.

"Hi there." He smiled charismatically, trying to bring himself to say the words. "My friend's son has just…had a bowel relaxation accident and I wonder if you have any nappies?"

Rory casually let go of Jack's hand as he glanced around the corridor, looking at all the sick lifeforms going back and forth in wheelchairs. He glanced up at Jack, making sure he wasn't looking before he ran silently off down the corridor, disappearing into the crowd.

He kept on running down the corridor, grinning like his father as he realised that his plan had worked. He didn't even _wear _nappies anymore. Uncle Jack was a bit of a sap.

He kept running until reached a dead end corridor, facing a big black door with a silver handle. He checked the silver plaque affixed to the door – 'MRI' which seemed to be crossed out with marker pen, below the plaque on a piece of paper were the words: "Out Of Order". MRI…initials…but he didn't know for what.

He knew his Uncle would be chasing after him soon, so he withdrew the Sonic Screwdriver from inside his jumper and held down the button, pressing it up to the lock. There was a resounding click sound from within, and with another push, the door came open.

As he heard his name being called he slipped inside the door, closing it quietly shut behind him.

And as half a face of an old, withered blue alien with black, vengeful eyes appeared in a streak of light from the base of the door, Rory froze in his tracks – and resisted the temptation to scream.


	21. The Old Nappy Change Routine

Chapter 21 – The Old Nappy Change Routine

"I'm _sorry?" _the Doctor repeated, unable to believe his own two ears for the sheer relief now cascading through him at the nurse's words. The alien nurse nodded with a broad smile on her face – glad she could deliver such good news to the man. "But that's brilliant! Thank you, thank you, thank you!" he yelled, bounding forward and giving the alien nurse an extremely huge hug of gratitude. "Can I see her?" he asked quickly as he pulled back with an immense grin plastered all over his face.

"Sure," the nurse almost squeaked, evidently unfamiliar with the Doctor's displays of gratitude. "Follow me."

The Doctor bounced along happily behind her as she led him through several corridors, passing sick aliens, worried visitors and doctors doing their best to save their patients.

This hospital was the best in the Universe – it ran around the entire planet's surface, continents split in wards with a staff body of over ten thousand.

They took a lift, then some stairs, and another lift until finally they were walking down the maternal ward.

"Bet you guys keep very fit in here," the Doctor commented as they turned right down the final aisle of expecting alien mothers. She laughed – and then he saw Rose.

"Rosiiiiiiiiiiiie!" he yelled, bounding forward towards her and wrapping his arms around her chest, squeezing tightly.

She seemed surprised…and in pain. "Doctor…let go…what…"

He didn't let go as he kissed her cheek delightedly. "It's okay! It's fantastically okay!"

"What?"

"It's Cleo, she's gonna be fine!"

"What's that 'bout Emily?"

"She's nine months developed – looks like _She _sped it up! _She_ didn't force you into labour!"

"That's great Doctor…please let go of me…"

"Oh, sorry!" he said cheerfully, letting go and pressing another kiss to her cheek. "How d'you feel?"

"Achin' and hurtin' all over."

He shot her a smile, flexing his fingers and cracking them into place. Rose winced at the sound as he moved around into position behind her, resting his hands on her shoulders before he began to massage them gently.

"Ooo…" she moaned with the pleasure, trying not to let herself sound too dirty for the sake of the other patients currently staring her way. "Who taught you to massage…?" she asked, expecting the name of a Universally famous massager to come back.

"You did," he replied shortly, and her eyes widened in surprise.

"What?"

"When I was hurt, you gave me massages," he replied, but didn't continue. Obviously he thought it answered her question.

"They weren't as good as this…"

"They were better than this." She felt his hot breath on the back of her neck, caressing her senses as something soft pressed to it. She turned and replaced her neck with her lips, kissing him gently.

"Tomorrow we'll be walking out of here with a baby girl," he said as they parted, still working his magic hands over her back and spine as she folded her arms around his neck.

"I know," she replied with a smile, resting her head on his shoulder. "My beautiful baby Izzy."

"My beautiful baby Lara."

"My even more beautiful baby Freya."

"Rebecca."

"Amy."

"Alison."

"Vanessa."

"Jane."

"Chloe."

"Jess."

"The most beautiful of beautiful babies ever, Liz." The Doctor drew her into another hug, this time gentle and caring. "Is there anything you want?"

"A walk," she moaned tiredly, a hand passing over her eyes. "My legs need a stretch."

He nodded, slipping a supporting arm around her waist and lifting her carefully onto her feet; supporting her almost limp body he walked her down the aisle, following he path back to the waiting room.

"Let's go find Jack and Rory, give them the good news whilst you're still in stage one," he suggested, and Rose nodded in reply.

* * *

Jack shoved his hands in his pockets, feeling like an idiot whilst carrying around a cluster of nappies. He'd been completely duped by an infant child. _Someone _was going to pay for this, and he had no doubt it would be him. 

He'd searched the entire floor, determining it was probably not wise to go on a full-scale hunt of the hospital for the sheer size of it. Rory hadn't been anywhere he'd looked. He truly _was_ his father's son.

He decided he'd better go back to the waiting room just in case the Doctor popped back to let them know what was happening. Jack didn't have the faintest clue of what he was going to _say _when the dreaded question came, but he decided he should probably worry about that when the time came.

Which apparently, was now.

"Jack! Brilliant news, fantastic news even!" a loud, happy voice came from the doorway as several lifeforms nearly shot through the roof in surprise. "She's gonna be fine, she's…"

The Doctor was standing in front of him now, trailing off in mid sentence as he looked around the room, supporting a very dizzy looking Rose currently taking none of her body weight for herself. He was obviously confused.

"Is there something missing here?"

"I lost him, Doc," Jack said after a few more moments, obviously carefully selected words.

"You…_lost _him?" the Doctor repeated, a grin slipping onto his already ecstatic facial features. "Oh good boy Rory! He gave you the old 'nappy change' routine, didn't he?" Jack nodded with embarrassment. "Oh Captain, how could you fall for that?"

"I'm sorry Doc, he just slipped off…"

"Ah don't be. He's clever; he'll be fine. Besides, with me on downtime we _need _another person to make sure the Universe is safe," he pointed out flippantly, guiding Rose to a chair and helping her down into it. "No doubt saving the hospital from an invasion right now."

They all laughed like it was a joke – but the Doctor personally wasn't kidding.

* * *

Rory Sigma-Tyler fought his fear, knowing if his dad was here he wouldn't at all be afraid. Propelled on by the thought of the Doctor, Rory took a bold step forward – an action that seemed to surprise the figure as he reeled back into the darkness.

"I'm here to help you," Rory echoed his dad's words, grip tightening on the Sonic Screwdriver clutched in his palm for inner strength.

"What can a little kid do to help us?" the sound of a young male asked, all hope in his voice gone. "We've lost, we've all lost…"

Rory turned towards the door, reaching up to beside the frame where he could just about make out the outline of a light switch, flicking it on. He immediately swivelled around again, coming face to face with a surprising sight.

At least ten different lifeforms in all shapes, colours and sizes stared back at him, all wearing doctor clothing, but all chained to the wall they were leaning on. The room was empty apart from a disused MRI machine, looking like someone had got slightly angry and took out their rage on it.

Rory kept as calm as he could.

"I'm here to help you," Rory repeated, a yearning for trust apparent in his eyes – the lifeforms were almost mesmerised by the pleading. Knowing he had them taken in, he gave a warm smile – one of his dad's. "Tell me what happened."

They began to spill everything.


	22. Rory's Mini Adventure

**A/N: **Okay, here's the deal. Today is my BiRtHdAy and I'm fifteen years old! I got a whole load done for you all to lavish in. Woo!

* * *

Chapter 22 – Rory's Mini Adventure

"We don't even know when they arrived. They were taking us down, one by one, and we didn't even know. First it was Retchok, then Lotch. They just disappeared. Vanished, into thin air. We thought nothing of it, probably the shuttle strikes that had been going on," the nearest lifeform to Rory began to explain as the child started to sonic the handcuffs.

"How long was this over?" he asked.

"About…three weeks. But then they started to appear again…but they were somehow…empty. Were on automatic. Weren't social. Disappeared all the time at breaks and never stopped at work."

"Mind control?" Rory asked with a trace of hope in his voice – he remembered Planet Epthos quite clearly. Rose's mind had been taken control of by the Squds with some unknown burning desire to kill her son, only stopped by the Doctor running an acre in less than six seconds to scoop him up pelt it to safety.

"Worse than that," the lifeform sighed, rubbing sore wrists. "They were replaced. When I 'disappeared' I woke up in this room, found all the people that had disappeared too. They're slowly taking over the hospital. They could do anything with our drugs; our technological developments…what're we going to do?!"

Rory was vaguely aware of all the lifeforms' eyes on him as he absently plagued the dilemma over, turning the Sonic Screwdriver over in his right hand for a moment. They were waiting to be impressed, obviously.

"Can you help us?" one of the lifeforms asked, and Rory paused for a moment before he opened his mouth to answer.

"Yes." He had absolutely no idea how, but as far as his father went with plans Rory had obviously inherited the 'blundering in' gene.

"How?"

"Hmm." Rory began to think, stretching his brain to the limits. What would his dad do? Find the leader, of course. Find the leader and try to reason with them. "Don't matter, just need to know where your evil twin people are so I can find who's in charge and talk to 'em."

"_Talk _to them?!" the lifeform with the most tentacles repeated disbelievingly. "What…"

"I've gotta give 'em a chance."

The lifeform shook its head in bemusement. "It's funny, I'd almost think you're the Do-"

But he'd already flown out of the door.

* * *

Rory had inherited his father's trait of a photographic memory, which made finding the replacements of the staff obscenely easy. He navigated the corridors with ease, keeping an eye out for Uncle Jack incase he was still looking for him but there was no sign. No one noticed him because he was so small, too immersed in their own tasks to notice the small boy running around unsupervised. His daddy wouldn't care as long as he used his common sense, and his mummy would want him safe. However, if his _granny _got one whiff of what he was up to she'd probably slap his daddy for letting it happen and then proceed to squeeze the life out of Rory with a huge hug.

It took him twenty minutes to find the first one.

They were busy with some kind of scan, but Rory quickly turned heads as he suddenly ran right up to the doctor doppelgänger and grabbed onto the trails of his white coat, tugging desperately with tears rushing down his face.

"My daddy!" he yelled, in hysterics. "Please help my daddy! He's real sick, please help him!"

People were gasping at the sight of the distressed boy, shocked. The doppelgänger had no choice but to follow him as Rory led him through twists and turns of the hospital corridors with tears in his eyes, taking him straight to the MRI room.

"In here," Rory wept, pushing open the door and shoving him inside, knowing the real doctors inside would take care of everything else.

One down, nine to go.

* * *

"Niome?"

"Molly?"

"Tara."

"April."

"Kathie."

"Roxie."

"Sasha."

"Are you two quite done?" Jack moaned as he knelt infront of the pair sitting down on some randomly placed chairs somewhere down the Neurology Ward where Rose had tired. "You've gone through every damn name in the baby name dictionary, haven't ya?"

"Probably," the Doctor agreed with a hearty grin, before turning to Rose and rubbing her back gently. "How you doing?"

"Your baby _hurts_ Doctor…" she moaned softly, falling slowly to the left onto him and lifting her arms to hang onto his neck. "Another one Jack…"

Jack checked his watch. "That's five minutes between contractions, Doc."

The Doctor nodded. "We'd better get back to the ward. Second stage is coming."

* * *

"I am Rory Alexis Sigma-Tyler, am I addressing the leader of the Perfos?"

"Vanish child, the business of the Perfos does not concern you!" the giant four-eyed squelchy green monster boomed in a grated voice, waving what Rory presumed to be one of its arms towards him.

"But I'm concerned 'bout _your_ business, see, I think you been trying to take over this hospital and imma very suspicious person."

"You will get hurt, child. Go!"

"Naw thanks. I'm not going 'til I've seen everything. Leave, or I'll destroy you."

It laughed, heartily. "And how will you destroy the mighty race of Perfos?"

Rory shot a happy grin. "I'll get my daddy on you."

"And who might he be?"

"My daddy is…" Rory paused for dramatic tension, building up the sense of dread before he uttered the name, "…the Doctor."

"The doctor?" it repeated, sounding a little unimpressed. "There are lots of doctors here, boy."

Rory shook his head, grin broadening even further. "He's not just any doctor. He's _the _Doctor."

It seemed to go rigid, the squelching sound suddenly dulling away to nothing.

"_The _Doctor?"

"Yup," Rory replied, popping the 'p'.

Suddenly it was as though alarm bells had sounded, and the squelchy monster was shrieking, "ABORT! ABORT!!!" as it whacked a nearby blue button and was instantly consumed by a beam of bright red light, disappearing into the unknown.

Rory turned, and made his way back to the disused MRI room.

* * *

"Ow…ow…OW…Doctor! DOCTOR!"

"Rose I'm right here…" the Doctor held tighter onto Rose's hand, slowly feeling something which he did not care to name spreading over his shoes. Rose had found the position of leaning against him much more comfortable than simply lying on a bed, screaming agony for the Time Lady she was being forced to bring into the world.

"You better bloody _stay _here!!!"

"I am, breathe deep, you're not dilated yet."

"Dilate my _ass! _Get this damn thing _outta_ me!!!" she gasped in-between screams of utter anguish, her womb on fire with another bout of a contraction. "GET IT OUT!!!"

"She loves you really…" Jack tried to assure the unborn child as he helped to support Rose, giving the Doctor a glance.

"DOCTOR!!!" she screamed again, digging her nails into his arms. He bit his lip, wondering slightly if he was bleeding at all from her actions.

"Rose I'm right here, you're killing my arms but I'm right here, relax…"

"RELAX?! ARE YOU INSANE?!"

"Okay, don't relax then…"

"AND WHO CARES ABOUT YOUR BLOODY ARMS?! I'VE GOT A FRICKIN' ALIEN COMING OUTTA ME!"

His front was beginning to get suspiciously wet, so he took her face in two hands and pushed it back slightly to reveal two big, wet eyes staring up at him as she cried her eyes out.

"Hey, hey, we knew this would be hard but there's no call for this," he said gently, reaching up his right hand and brushing away the tears before drawing her into a hug and kissing her forehead. "Let's get this over with."

"She's dilated," a voice said from beyond, and the Doctor drew back, gripping her hands tightly.

"Push!"

* * *

**A/N:** There's a question. Has the Doctor got a photographic memory? Everyone I asked said it was a good point. It just came to me for some reason, probably to do with Quantum Leap :D 


	23. No Name Sigma Tyler

**A/N: **Well she took her time but she's finally popped out, whatever her name is. Wow, so many possibilities! Though I know what the name is, and it's nothing I've said so far. Woohoo!

* * *

Chapter 23 – No Name Sigma-Tyler

Jackie Tyler was only just recovering from her hangover when the phone went off.

The shrill ringing rattled her fragile eardrums, her brain rattling inside her skull in an undeniable mother of a headache. Cursing, she reached over to the phone and lifted it up, pressing it to her ear.

"Hello?"

"_Jackie! Rose is givin' birth!"_

"What? Jack?" Jackie snapped to attention, sitting up on the sofa. "What's goin' on?"

"_I can see her head!" _he yelled down the phone, _"come on Rose, push!"_

"_AGGH!!! DOCTOR!!! I'M GOING TO BLOODY KILL YOU!!! AGGGH!!!" _yelled Rose's agonised voice from a distance on the line.

"Jack what's goin' on?" Jackie asked anxiously, pressing the phone harder against her ear.

"…_She's a bit stimulated," _Jack answered casually like it was a common occurrence.

A new voice joined the group, that of the Doctor's. _"Rose…no…put that down and concentrate on PUSHING!!!"_

"_I'm gonna rip your damn-"_

"_Rose!"_

"_-right off you frickin' horny bastard!"_

Jack was speaking once more, _"calm down Rose…shit. I didn't mean that. I swear I didn't mean that. No…don't…what're you doin'?! Doctor! DOCTOR!"_

"_Push!"_yelled yet another voice, presumably that of a midwife. _"Come on, she's nearly out!"_

"_AGGGGGHHHHHH!!!"_

"_She's almost here! Keep pushing! Keep going!"_

"_DOCTOOOOOOOOR!!!"_

Jackie was partially glad she couldn't see what was happening for the sheer chaos of the sounds in the delivery room – Rose screaming agony as Jack attempted to calm her, the midwife trying to do her job whilst the Doctor tried to retain his duty as a father by ensuring her needs were met, no matter how many times she insulted him.

Then she heard it. An entirely new sound…loud and high-pitched. It was…it was a baby crying. Wailing. She was unable to stop her eyes watering with joy as she heard the phone line beep loudly, and it fell silent as it disconnected. Jack's phone seemed to have lost its charge.

Her granddaughter had just been born.

* * *

God only _really _knew what Jack was currently doing to the poor defenceless baby girl as he cradled her gently in both arms, waggling his finger infront of her face. Her eyes were not focused on him – instead they were flickering between her mother and her father, as if deciding which one she was going to wail at.

"Awww diddums, who's gonna grow up to be an intergalactic saviour of the Universe, eh? You are!" Jack continued to waggle his finger infront of her face. "Yes, you are! Aren't you? Aren't you?"

"Jack, what _are _you doing to my daughter?" the Doctor asked, leaning forward to the ex-Time Agent with Rose's head on his chest, utterly exhausted with her eyes half closed – though she was smiling contentedly. He took the baby girl from the other man's arms, holding her closely to his chest and scrutinising her closely. One thing that was unique about her was the colour of her eyes – one was brown like the Doctor's eyes now, and one was blue…very much – Rose had pointed out – like the colour of his previous body's eyes.

"Hey Rose." He nudged her gently, and she opened her eyes to look at him with tired eyes. "Thanks."

"Was no problem Doctor," she murmured, sitting up and reaching to touch her new baby girl's cheek.

"She looks just like you," Jack assured her with his cheesy grin, and she raised her eyebrows.

"I'm small and blubbery?" she asked, and the Doctor laughed as she rested her head back on his chest. She looked up at him, staring impassively into his gaze. "She's got your eyes though. Your eyes stayed the same through your regeneration. Not the colour, just the way they look."

"My mother was human," he started in explanation, affectionately pushing the blankets more around his baby girl to keep her warm. "I inherited her eyes and so no matter how many regenerations and eye colours I go through I'll always have her basic retina. Why is she so quiet?" he suddenly added, looking down at the baby he held. "I swear Rory wasn't this quiet. He was already screaming and throwing stuff around by now, wasn't he?"

"I think that was probably you," Rose answered sleepily, yawning widely.

"Probably," he agreed.

"Daddy?" suddenly asked a child's voice from the doorway, and the Doctor glanced down to see a beaming Rory bouncing excitedly on his toes in the doorway, eyes fixed on the bundle of blankets in his father's arms.

"What you been doin' then?" Jack asked, getting up and scooping the child into both arms.

"Nothing," he said innocently, still looking at his father.

"C'mere, I got something to show you," the Doctor gestured with his head. Jack lifted him onto the bed and he crawled over to the Doctor, eyes still fixed.

The Doctor nodded down at the baby in his arms, which was staring at Rory through her multicoloured eyes.

"This is your little sister. Say hi."

"Hi!" Rory exclaimed happy, sticking out his tongue at her. "Can I hold her?"

The Doctor nodded and beckoned Rory towards him, making sure the boy was in his lap before lowering the girl into Rory's arms, his own two still supporting her beneath.

"She's really tiny," he said. He lifted his hand and put it in-between the blankets, touching her tiny one. As he touched her palm her grip automatically tightened around his, and he felt a sense of peace and contentment. "What'd you call her?"

"Leslie," the Doctor said immediately.

"Sophie," Rose shot back.

"Natasha."

"Megan!"

"Tioni!"

"Ben."

The Doctor and Rose turned their heads to Jack, who merely shrugged.

"Thought I'd lend a helpin' hand," he said with a shrug and a grin. They ignored him.

"She's got to have a name Rose…" the Doctor was saying as Rose's eyelids drooped even more.

"We'll think of one in the mornin'…" she murmured, before falling straight asleep on his chest. Rory opened his mouth and yawned loudly, an action that sent Jack and the Doctor off too.

Rory climbed off of the Doctor's legs as he picked up the baby girl fully once more. Being careful of Rose he took her over to the crib beside the bed, placing her gently inside. He turned, and only just took a few steps before she started to cry. Loudly.

"Wassat?" Rose slurred, waking up once more.

"Nothing…" the Doctor said quickly moving back to pick her up, and she stopped crying the instant he touched her. The Doctor sighed. "One of those, eh?"

She giggled, almost like she knew the trouble she was causing her parents as the Doctor picked her up again and took her back to the bed.

"Tomorrow we'll go see your granny," he said, "then you can get spoilt rotten with loads of presents from adoring fans, sound fair?"

In reply she just closed her eyes, and fell asleep in his arms.

The Doctor looked over at the sleeping Rose, and compared the two.

"Exactly like her mother," Jack supplied, and the Doctor nodded.

"My baby girl wields the Jackie Tyler slap."

* * *

**A/N: **Right, enough with the namby-pambyism, let's get on with some DOCTOR TORTURRRRRRRE!!!! MUAHAHAHAHAHA... (Cough) ...HAHAH... (Cough) ...ah. 


	24. Back To The Past

**A/N: **You can't say I didn't warn you...

* * *

Chapter 24 – Back To The Past

**Rory Sigma-Tyler, aged 16, Earth, November 2006 AD.**

He'd lost the TARDIS. Great. The one rule of space and time travel was of course, to remember where in the Universe you parked but as teenage Rory Sigma-Tyler strode down the South London street at 9:00pm with hands in pockets he couldn't help but think he'd kind of screwed up.

He ran his hand through his hair and stopped just short of a chip shop, contemplating his next move. He'd told his dad he was just going to take a quick trip in the TARDIS but now he'd gone and lost it, leaving him trapped on 21st century Earth and the TARDIS clan in 43rd century Yechia trying to stop an invasion.

He carried on a little up the street, quickly popping into a twenty-four hour and buying a newspaper, purely for the date. 23rd November 2006. That was six days before he was born.

Slipping back out in the open he turned back once more to the chip shop, glancing down at the newspaper in his clutch. Well, he had the newspaper; all he really needed was the chips…

Then he heard footsteps towards him.

He turned towards their source, straining to see through darkness of the night where two figures were walking together, hand in hand. The taller male figure was quite skinny, wild brown hair seeming nothing short of uncontrollable whilst a shorter blonde girl wore a puffy coat and jeans.

His eyes shot wide open.

He dived for the nearest plant pot, only just about concealing himself in time before his past parents strolled past.

He'd crossed his own timeline?!

He watched his mum carefully as they passed him, but he couldn't see any signs of her pregnancy. He'd always been quick to grow…perhaps her pregnancy had been quick too? He vaguely began to wonder if she even _knew _she was pregnant at this point in time, or maybe what she was feeling if she already did. Happy? Surprised, obviously. Had they been trying?

He watched, mesmerised as they walked past together. Suddenly his dad stopped dead, almost yanking his mum off of her feet as she let slip a cry of surprise.

"What?" she asked, and for a moment Rory thought he'd seen him – but he suddenly dropped Rose's hand and extended his arms infront of him, turning towards the chip shop and lumbering towards it like a zombie.

"Chiiips…" he said in a drone's voice, "chiiips…"

His mum laughed and pulled his dad back by his waist, taking him away from the shop front.

"C'mon, we're going home!"

"Nooo…" he moaned in a slow motion voice as the girl dragged him backwards and stopped a few metres from the store.

"How old are you?" she demanded with a laugh as he scuffed his shoes on the floor in a sulk.

"Nine hundred and one," came the mild reply, before the continuation of the matter at hand, "mummy, I want some chips."

"Well that's too bad, 'cause you ain't getting any. "C'mon, we've gotta run or we'll miss the last bus!" His mum started off down the pathway, his dad still standing immobile.

"But I'll run faster if I have chips!"

"Cram…chips…up your…C'MON!"

His dad disappeared with her into the night.

_Bus._

He swivelled around and pelted it to the nearest bus stop, away from his past parents. He was in such a hurry he almost ran right into a woman hovering just out of sight, murmuring an apology as he caught a flash of a purple dress in his vision almost florescent in the dark night.

He ran, and caught the bus.

* * *

**The Tenth Doctor and family, Earth, March 2007 AD.**

"Julie."

"Sarah."

"Lyra."

"Laura."

The unnamed baby girl gurgled in her grandmother's arms, watching her face intently as Jackie smiled down at her, and she smiled back.

"Hannah!"

"Gemma!"

Rory was sitting on the living room sofa kicking his shoes against the side with his arms folded indignantly, Bob sat at his feet waggling his tail back and forth. He was bored. His parents were too immersed in matters about the baby and for once even Jackie wasn't paying him any attention. Jack was in the TARDIS doing a few touch-ups and now Rory was alone.

"Geri!!"

"Claire!!"

He blew a loud raspberry, trying to get attention back to him but failing.

"Tanya!!!"

"Tasha!!!"

All of a sudden the baby exploded into tears in her grandmother's arms and the parents span around instantly at the sound, the Doctor diving forward and taking her into his arms.

"Hey, hey, what's wrong?" he asked gently, and Rory quietly slipped off of the sofa with Bob on his heels, flitting out of the front door to the world outside.

Checking the coast was clear he gestured Bob out of the door behind him, creeping to the stairwell to see Jack in the TARDIS below.

* * *

"The motherboard's connected to the, warp drive! The warp drive's connected to the, mainframe! The mainframe's connected to the, thingy-thing!" Jack sang absently from underneath the console, buzzing away merrily with the Doctor's Sonic Screwdriver before he heard the rhythmic clangs of small feet on metal and someone tugged on the bottom of his trouser leg that was poking out. 

"Uncle Jack?"

He smiled. "Hey Rory kiddo. You okay?"

There was a brief pause. "…Yeah," finally came the muffled reply.

Jack stopped in his fixing, getting up and pulling himself out of the floor hole to sit on the Captain's chair. He patted the seat next to him.

"Come and tell Uncle Jack all ya troubles," he said with a grin as Rory took the proffered seat and looked up at the adult.

He paused for a moment before speaking; "…mummy and daddy don't love me anymore."

Jack raised his eyebrows incredulously. "What makes you say that?"

"All they talk about is the baby and I don't exist. Was I supposed to go when she came?"

Jack wrapped his arm around the boy supportively, ruffling his hair. Rory glared at him and patted it down again. "Trust me Rory, give it a few days and they'll get bored. I had a little sister too, y'know. She was called Sandy, and for a while my parents cared about nothin' but her. But that's a parental reaction to a newborn. They still love you with all their hearts Rory; they're just too immersed to show it at the moment. Everyone's really worked up that the baby will die at any moment that they tend to forget us bigger brothers in the process. They trust you to look out for yourself right now."

"But…"

"I know your feelings are hurt right now, but even your dad can forget things like that sometimes."

"Mummy said he got hurt and forgot a few things, is that it?"

"Not, that's amnesia. We're talkin' 'bout forgettin' peoples' feelings – your dad is probably, if not absolutely the cleverest man in the entire Universe. His IQ must break the ceilin' and he's seen everythin' you can possibly imagine – but he's not very attune to what people are feelin'."

"Why not?" the boy asked, perplexed.

_Probably to keep himself sane. _"'Cause he's your dad!" Jack replied with a grin, getting onto his feet and pulling up Rory too. "C'mon, let's go crash the baby party!"

Smiling once more they slipped out of the TARDIS with Bob in tow, heading towards the flat.

And it was around about then the shimmering purple light exploded into shots of bright light infront of the two, merging into a familiar figure – first the shape, then the dress, then the face, then the hair…and then the coal black eyes narrowed in anger, hatred and contempt.

Jack couldn't take his eyes off of the sight.

"Rory," he said simply, still not looking away. "I want you to run. I want you to run as fast as you can back up the stairs to your gran's flat and I want you to tell your daddy that _She's_back."

Rory couldn't tear his gaze away either. "Okay," he croaked, slowly backing away towards the stairwell with transfixed eyes on the rapidly building figure, before forcing them away and turning to run.

Bob scooted up the stairs easily a few paces ahead of him, Rory getting easily out of breath with all the steps but forcing himself onward with the weight of the task before him.

"Yip, yip, yip, yip, yip!" Bob barked insanely from outside the front door of Jackie's flat, bouncing up and down on his paws as Rory ran down the balcony. "Yip, yip, yip, yip, yip!"

"Bloody racket you're makin'!" Jackie Tyler's irritated voice came from inside, flinging the door open and coming face to face with the Delorion, barking without control.

"Daddy!" Rory just about gasped as he stumbled on through the doorway and just about made it to collapse at his dad's feet, lungs burning. "_She's_ back!"

The Doctor seemed to pale, holding out his daughter for Jackie to receive before taking Rory into his arms and starting out the door with him, back to meet his destiny with Rose closely following.

He reached the bottom of the stairwell, setting Rory down onto the floor as he peeked through the stairwell window, seeing Jack in confrontation with her. She distinctly had an advantage – the fact he seemed to be hovering five foot off of the ground with her hand around his throat.

He turned to Rory and cupped his chin gently, expression suddenly gravely serious. "Stay here," he said, "whatever happens, you two have to stay here."

Rory nodded obediently before the Doctor gave him one last smile and reached up to Rose, kissing her gently before slipped out of the door. Rory quickly lunged for the door and held it open a crack for a slice of the world outside, breath caught in his throat as true fear mounted in him.

"That's enough!" the Doctor yelled angrily and the purple woman's head instantly turned, and shot him the most evil of glares he'd possibly received in quite a long time, dropping Jack onto the concrete. He didn't waver though, simply held his ground.

"Doctor…" she hissed, dropping the ex-Time Agent and gaining all interest in the Doctor. "At long last…"

"Who are you and what do you want?"

"My name is not important, and I want you, of course."

"For what?" the Doctor shot back, aware she was getting closer and closer to him.

"That is not imperative right now." She extended her hand towards him, urging him to take it. "Come with me, Time Lord."

"Leave him," Jack burst out suddenly from the floor, pushing himself onto his feet and stumbling towards the Doctor, his hand massaging his neck.

She ignored him. "Come with me…" she repeated in that sensuous voice of hers.

"No," the Doctor said, folding his arms resolutely.

"Then you will have to be _forced!" _she screamed, her fist clenching together as it suddenly pulsated with a bright purple light, glowing and dancing in her palm. Then static broke out inside his head, fizzling and crackling as though a fireworks display was going on within. His hands flew up to the sides of his head, falling instantly to his knees and biting back the yells.

"I don't need you conscious!" she screamed, tightening her fist further as the Doctor started trying to move away from her, Jack helping him stand up. Rose and Rory watched with baited breath as they started to hastily move over to the TARDIS – but she was too quick for them.

A bright purple beam shot out of her palm currently not paining the Doctor, scraping against the Doctor's chest and hitting Jack full on in the back. He yelled out in agony, his entire body coursing and jerking as purple electric-like lights shot up it – and he fell to the floor, dead.

She maximised her control on the Doctor and he too collapsed to the floor – still conscious, though immensely weakened.

"NO!" came a voice from afar and suddenly the form of Rory appeared in the Doctor's vision, bounding towards him.

"Go back!" he wanted to shout, but he couldn't move or speak with the power she held over him.

"This does not concern you, boy!" she hollered, only having to raise her hand an inch to send him flying into the far wall of the enclosed street.

Then the Doctor got mad.

He forced himself forward through pure inner strength, inching towards his now unconscious son strewn out on the pavement…but she wasn't having any of it. One more snap of the fingers and the Doctor's eyes began to slowly close, heavy-headed and drowsy within seconds. He forced his fatigued head up one more time to catch Rose standing in the middle of the street, the Delorion at her heels before the Doctor's body submitted to the power and fell absolutely still.

* * *

**A/N: **(Lets out long, relieved breath) MUAHAHAHA! TOOOOOOORTURRRE!!! KEEEEEEEEEEEEEEELL!!! 


	25. My Missing Wife

A/N: I'll reply to all reviews this chapter, promise :D And, as far as you put, no one noticed the little err...drop. Good. That's good.

Oh, oh, oh, and anyone who hasn't listened to The Stowaway, get it right now! Absolutely awesome soundtrack to Voyage Of The Damned and sooooooo many spoilers... :P

* * *

Chapter 25 – My Missing Wife

The Doctor woke up.

He'd somehow expected to awaken in a dungeon of some kind; chained up in a cold, damp basement with no means of escape…but as he opened his eyes, expecting to see _Her_…he instead came across an entirely different and welcoming site.

"Jack?" he murmured, pushing himself onto his elbows and looking around the bedroom – he was back in Jackie's flat, lying on the double bed in Jackie's bedroom whilst his son lay on the other side, Jackie tending to the boy's wounds whilst Jack dealt with his own.

"Doctor," Jackie said softly as he watched her continue to dab gently at Rory's head wound. "Everythin's gonna be fine, just relax."

"What happened?" he pressured, pulling himself up and expecting resistance – but the only thing he got was a small pain from midway down his abdomen from the graze shot.

"I'm so sorry," she sighed, and the Doctor's eyes widened in alarm.

"What?" he asked instantly, "what is it? Where's Rose?" He turned over on the bed to Rory, checking his son over.

For some reason the room had an air – an air of silence and tension between its occupants as the question the Doctor had reeled off almost automatically suddenly became a whole lot more relevant.

"Jack, where's Rose?" the Doctor asked slowly after he was satisfied with the boy's health, turning to the other man. Jack didn't seem inclined to reply in a hurry. The Doctor got onto his feet and straightened up to full height, his full advantage of one inch over Jack really coming into play now.

"Sh…she…we…I couldn't stop her, Doctor, Rose wouldn't let _Her_ take you so _She _took Rose instead."

The Doctor didn't seem to be able to say anything as his eyes disconnected from Jack's, and dropped to the boy on the bed.

"Stupid!" he suddenly burst out, fists tightening. "Stupid, _stupid_ human!" He glanced between Jack and Jackie for a moment with a fixed expression of determination. "I have to get her back."

"_She'll_kill you," Jackie said instantly stepping forward to confront him. "Doctor, _She's_dangerous."

"All the more reason why I can't let Rose stay there," the Doctor replied simply, glancing over at the crib in the corner where his unnamed baby girl slept soundly. "I can't…guarantee for your daughter's safety right now Jackie, but I'm pretty sure she'll be okay until an ultimatum is established. Besides, _She_ doesn't want me dead. If _She_ wanted me dead _She_ would've killed me long ago." He paused for a moment, leaning on the end bed pole and staring at the ground, absorbed in his calculations. Suddenly his head jerked up as something clicked. "Can you show me what point they were teleported from, Jack?"

Jack shrugged "Sure. But watcha gonna do?"

"Check for residual energy. If I can find a reading I might be able to trace it and determine where they were both teleported to."

Jack didn't want to stop him. "Okay," he said with a nod, starting out the doorway as the Doctor closely followed.

* * *

The Doctor was currently walking around in circles near the TARDIS with his Sonic Screwdriver held aloft in his palm, buzzing away constantly as he had been for quite a long time now. Every now and then he would stop, shake the tool and whack it a few times before raising it once again and resuming his repetitive parade. There had to be something_wrong _with it. He wasn't getting any feedback at all.

"Doctor," he heard Jackie Tyler's voice, but didn't bother looking up.

"Hmm?" he asked, brow furrowed and tongue sticking out in concentration.

"It's ten o'clock."

"Uh huh," he agreed, jumping excitedly as the Sonic Screwdriver issued a loud beeping noise, but sighing dejectedly when he found it wasn't what he was looking for.

"You 'ave to stop sometime."

"Not until I find a reading," he replied resolutely, eyes stuck firmly to the ground.

"You've been lookin' since five. Come inside, please."

"I can't do that. I need to get a reading."

"Doctor," she said in such a longing voice the Doctor just _had_ to look up. His hands lowered for a moment, gazing into her eyes. "Please."

He sighed. "I'm sorry Jackie. I'm just…it's all a bit chaotic right now."

"I know sweetheart, come inside and get some rest, you can carry on looking in the mornin'."

He paused for a moment before inclining in a nod, needing no gesture to follow Jackie back to the flat.

Once there she gave him a mug of hot chocolate and sat him on the sofa she'd already made a bed on, the television ongoing with some kind of late night chat show. The three adults talked for a bit on matters not concerning Rose. Soon came the sound of a distant baby's wails, and the Doctor immediately rose. He jogged over to Jackie's room and slipped inside, making for the crib. She was crying loudly, waving her arms and legs around to get attention from anyone that happened to be nearby.

He shushed her gently as he picked her up, but it didn't seem to be having any effect. A quick sniff told him she didn't need a nappy change; she probably needed feeding, and Rose wasn't here to supply. He turned and headed towards the door.

"Daddy?"

He stopped dead at the sound. "Rory?"

"Daddy…"

He turned back to the bed, seeing his son sitting gingerly up in the bed holding his head. He gave him a smile as he called for Jack.

"How you feeling?" he asked over the baby girl's quiet cries, keeping her sturdy in one arm as he sat on the edge of the bed, reaching up and affectionately brushing through his son's hair.

"My head hurts…"

"I'll bet it does," he said as Jack appeared in the room, moving towards them. "How about you come into the sitting room with us?"

Rory nodded and reached up to Jack as he took the boy into his arms.

As they emerged into the sitting room Jackie practically exploded with joy at the sight of her grandson awake. Jack set Rory down onto the sofa as Jackie felt the need to hug and kiss the life out of him whilst the Doctor went to put on some warm milk for the baby girl.

"Tch!" Jackie was saying, still holding him tight. "What're we gonna do with you and your daddy, eh? You're nothin' but a pair of troublemakers!" She looked over to where the Doctor was currently trying to not drop the baby whilst simultaneously pouring a measure of milk. She rolled her eyes. "Doctor sweetheart, you're bloody useless. Give 'er to me."

Jack sniggered as the Doctor assumed his innocent pout look and handed the girl to Jackie, who expertly held her in the crook of her arm as she warmed the milk the Doctor had managed to half slosh into the container.

Then it came.

"Daddy, where's mummy?"

The Doctor stopped dead in his tracks and the entire room lapsed into silence; even the baby girl seemed to go quiet for a moment as the Doctor's eyes connected with his son's. He sighed, realising this was not going to be easy.

"Rory…" He took a seat next to the boy. "I'm not going to lie to you, because you're my son and frankly if I know the truth then you deserve to know too." He paused for a breath. "She isn't here. We're not even sure if she's on this planet."

Rory stared blankly at him. _"Her?"_

The Doctor nodded. _"She _took her, there was nothing anyone could've done…" – he caught the boy's distraught expression and drew him into a hug – "…but don't worry, we're going to get her back."

"Doctor you're gonna 'ave to feed 'er, she's not takin' it from me," Jackie said suddenly from above him and before he knew it the baby was unloaded into his arms complete with a fresh, warm bottle of milk. He lowered the bottle to the girl's lips but she just shied away from the pacifier atop the bottle, crying her eyes out.

"C'mon," the Doctor muttered, drawing her closer and moving the bottle back towards her mouth. Still she refused. He sighed loudly. "Okay, look, I know you want your mum's but this really isn't time to be picky…" He gestured at his chest, "I can't exactly give you any so you've just got to make do with this for now. I swear we'll get her back, we _will _get her back and you can suck her dry, but you've got to go along with me for now, okay? And just to disprove any thoughts, I'll drink a little first myself."

True to his word he raised the bottle to his lips and took a short gulp, frowning a little as he lowered it once more.

"Y'know, that's pretty good," he admitted, lowering the bottle back down to her mouth and venturing forward, until slowly, she began to suck. He grinned.

"See? Nice, isn't it?"

"You're incredible Doctor," Jackie confessed, if but a little defeatedly. For a moment they just watched as the girl drained the bottle, and then Jackie finally spoke, "we need to all get some sleep."

"Agreed," the Doctor said with a nod, settling the girl down into Jackie's already extended arms. "Then tomorrow we can get started."

He turned to confront Rory, who was holding onto his jacket a little more desperately than usual. He read him like a book.

"Sure, you can stay with me."

And it wasn't shortly after that the flat was still and silent, its five occupants in sleep state.


	26. Parting Of The Ways

A/N: This chapter is double the length of a normal chapter, but I want this segment out of my system. It's looooong! Sorry. And slightly gory too. And Parting Of The Ways...speaks for itself, really.

* * *

Chapter 26 – Parting Of The Ways

"_Doctor…"_

_The Doctor was dreaming. He knew he was dreaming from the way the white world around him warped with his thoughts smoothly, strange and confusing but somehow understanding it all the same. He didn't feel as though he was himself, perhaps watching from third person._

"_Doctor…"_

_Instantly without any initial warning, he knew it was the purple woman. As it clicked in his messed up head She instantly appeared in the distance, floating towards him._

"_Where's Rose?" he ordered instantly, teeth already gritted._

_Without any warning at all She was suddenly standing next to him and for the first time he was conscious to feel Her icy cold touch, bringing with it years of torment and bitter resentment aimed specifically at one organisation…_

_Then the world disappeared from around him, and he was suddenly in the dark. As his eyes adjusted to the light he found he had not prepared himself, seeing Rose so helpless and fragile understandably unnerved him from the surprising clarity of dream-state._

"_Rose!" he called instantly, taking a step forwards towards her figure lying so helpless on the cold floor, so defenceless, so miserable. To his complete and utter astonishment she looked up directly into his eyes, first squinting in confusion then widened to impossibly large._

"_Doctor?!" she gasped, unable to believe it. "You…you're glowin'…"_

"_I'm not exactly here Rose, this is a dream, I'm sure of it."_

_Her face fell. "My dream?"_

_He shook his head, closing the gap between them and dropping to his knees before her. "No, mine."_

"_But…how? How can…"_

_He shushed her gently, reaching up to her face but somehow already knowing he wouldn't be able to touch her before his hand passed through her cheek, confirming his suspicions._

"_What's She done?" he demanded, angered by the fact he couldn't touch her, "has She hurt you?"_

_Rose inclined in negative. "No…She just left me here."_

"_Which is where you will soon be, Doctor!" the woman suddenly appeared from out of nowhere, and the Doctor turned just in time to see Her hand fly out before he went soaring backwards into the hard concrete wall, his body now becoming puzzlingly solid – probably to torment him. The girl in question cried out his name and staggered onto two feet, weak from fatigue and lack of food as the Doctor was held by some kind of invisible force, keeping him on the wall._

"_Stay back!" the woman screamed at Rose, waving Her free hand to conjure up two more objects – nails, and making them fly into the air. "Stay back!!!"_

_But Rose wasn't listening. The Doctor could only watch as the two nails began to hurtle towards his hands spread out against the wall, managing to realise with a flicker of wit that this was actually the first time he would actually be crucified._

_How he could feel pain in a dream was a mystery in itself, but this woman could do anything. It was probably a simulation of the pain it would normally cause – or it was actually happening to him too in the real world._

_The nails reached his hands and slowly began to drill in through the bones, blood and muscle. He bit his lip so hard he almost chopped it in two, hopelessly trying to contain the pain for the sake of Rose who had now stopped dead in her tracks, shocked._

"_Now maybe you will stop trying to act foolish, mortal!" the woman screeched in delight at Rose as She continued to make the nails spin around and around in his palms, slowly getting deeper and deeper until they were finally drilled the entire way in, the Doctor breathing heavily with small moans of pain. "Listen to me Doctor, because this will keep your precious mortal alive. I want you, and you only. I will give back the mortal if you hand yourself over to me."_

"_Where…I wouldn't know where…?" he murmured, coughing slightly as Rose watched a slick of deep red blood from one of his palms drip down eerily onto the floor._

"_12, 96, 47," she replied simply, lifting her gaze off of his and flickered to the still paralysed Rose. "Else…" – hand lifted to the girl – "I might get a little impatient…"_

_She squeezed her hand together tightly and suddenly with a obscenely evil laugh, watching with glee as the girl screamed and dropped to her knees…_

* * *

Jackie Tyler was sitting on the second sofa of the sitting room at 9:00am, clutching a cup of tea in both hands whilst clad in her silken dressing gown chatting quietly to Mickey. The Doctor and Rory were still asleep on the other sofa, Rory's hands clutching onto his dad's shirt whilst the Doctor's arm stretched around his son's shoulders. Jack was feeding the baby in the kitchen with some more milk.

"So she's gone," Mickey said lowly for the hundredth time, obviously having trouble accepting the idea. Jackie nodded again, knowing she'd had to be patient for this.

"Only temporarily," Jack chipped in from the kitchen doorway, moving towards them with the baby in one arm, bottle in the other. "The Doctor'll get her back Jackie, you know that."

She nodded briefly as Mickey took some interest in the baby Jack held.

"That her?" he asked dumbly, getting onto his feet and looking down at the girl who was now sleeping quietly. "She'll be pretty, I bet. Just like her mum."

The other two nodded in agreement, before the silent air was suddenly cut by a helpless yell of, "no!" and they turned to see the Doctor sitting upright with his left arm stretched out high infront of him as if he was trying to reach out to someone, short and sharp breaths issuing through gritted teeth as his eyes stared unseeingly at the wall.

Jackie bustled over to him instantly, worried. "What's wrong sweetheart?"

He turned his head to face her with wide eyes, still breathing heavily as though he'd just run a marathon.

"I…" he began, but suddenly choked for no apparent reason. He could feel a very warm liquid somewhere midway down his tongue. He had practically bitten it in half…

Was it true? He lifted his palms up towards him, Jackie's eyes widening as she saw two bloody holes in the middle of each like where a nail would go for crucifixion. Instantly pain hit him but he forced it to reel as Jackie handed him a handkerchief silently.

He caught some of the warm liquid in his mouth in the handkerchief, not too surprised to see the stain of blood. The crowd watched as the Doctor's hands and mouth area were suddenly enveloped in a bright purple smoke-like energy and remain there for a few seconds, before it seeped away leaving his hands and tongue completely healed.

"What the hell was that?" Jackie demanded to know, roughly taking his wrist and jerking them forward to inspect his hands. "They looked like…"

"They were," he finished gently. "I was dreaming…she came to me in my dream and tried to speak with me, I wouldn't listen so she threw me against the wall and…" he trailed off to nothing, before reinstating himself and looking back up. "She proposed a deal. She gave me co-ordinates to meet, and if I turn myself in she'll release Rose."

"No Doctor, there has to be another way," Jackie said instantly when she realised the implications as the Doctor slipped his arms until sleeping Rory and lifted him up, getting onto his feet.

"I'm sorry Jackie, but I haven't got any options. This is the only choice I have."

"Don't be dumb, Doc," Jack was saying, trying to sound as jokey as possible in the heftiness of the situation. "We can just take the TARDIS, bust her outta there!"

"Two problems Jack, we have no idea where she _is_and there's no way of tracking her. Believe me, if there was another way I'd take it, but I can't let them both die. Whatever _She_ wants me for I don't care, I can endure it knowing my family is safe. You haven't seen _Her_ true capabilities Jack, what's _happening_to Rose…" He swallowed. "I won't let you follow me, any of you. You can't come and rescue me. It's too dangerous."

Rory was awake now, still clutching onto his father's jacket.

"Daddy please don't go…" Rory whispered, almost in tears, "we can get mummy out, like Uncle Jack said. Please daddy, you said never give up."

The Doctor harshly ignored him, holding him out to Jackie who took him in puzzlement. "Jackie, get Rory out of here. He doesn't need to see any of this."

"No I won't," Jackie answered strongly, much to the Doctor's surprise. He met Jackie Tyler's piercing gaze.

He gritted his teeth. "Jackie, I told you to get Rory out of here!" he growled.

"No! He's the one with the most right to know."

"He's as much your son as he is Rose's too," Mickey pointed out.

There was another brief flash of a pause as the Doctor stared between the occupants of the room, his expression hard and unforgiving.

"Fine," he said thickly, "stay."

Unknown to the company, Bob had managed to wander from the next room to where the Doctor stood next to the sofa. The Doctor felt his furry pink-maned head rub against his leg affectionately, and the Doctor known if he could talk he'd be saying exactly what Jack and Rory had said.

He turned, feeling everyone's eyes on him as he dropped to the floor to stroke the Delorion's back.

"I only wish it were that simple," the Doctor whispered, giving the animal a half smile of reassurance. "But I'll be okay."

The others however, were not so sure.

* * *

"You don't have to do this."

The Doctor turned to Jack after setting the designated co-ordinates in the TARDIS for what he well knew could be the last time, hitting the button. "I think I do," he answered plainly.

"Daddy…"

The Doctor looked down at his son, a perfect resemblance to both him and Rose. The boy stood there, trying so hard not to cry to try and make his daddy proud of him. The Doctor knelt down to the young boy, lifting his chin delicately with a finger to look at him.

"Y'know, sometimes it's okay to cry. There are times when it's the best thing to do. It can be really manly to cry."

Rory burst into tears without hesitation at his words, hugging his father tight to which he returned. Rory's hands automatically tightened on the material of his dad's coat.

"Don't go, please daddy, I love you…don't go…" he sobbed uncontrollably as he clung to the Doctor tighter. "Please…"

"I'm sorry Rory," he sighed, "this is just something I've got to do. One day when you're older you'll understand it." Rory just sniffed in reply, his tears making the Doctor's front damp. After a brief moment they parted, and the Doctor kissed him gently on the forehead, ruffling his hair. "Look after your little sister and your mummy, and cause all the trouble in the Universe, okay?"

Rory nodded, wiping his wet eyes with his sleeves.

The Doctor got up, looking directly at Jack standing next in line. He knew what was coming even before Jack launched out his hands and grabbed him around the back of the neck and pushing the Doctor's lips forward to his own.

"Mmm!" the Doctor protested as the others sniggered about him, and action seemingly insane to any bystander lurking in the shadows. "Mm, mm-mm-MM!"

Finally, Jack withdrew. Disgusted, the Doctor was quick to wipe his mouth free of Jack germs as Jack beamed broadly at him.

"Look after them for me?" the Doctor said, and Jack didn't need to ask who he was speaking about.

"You'll be back," he said simply, and though his spirit believed it, his aching heart didn't.

The Doctor said nothing in reply to this as he looked at the next person in line, Mickey Smith. He extended a hand, to which Mickey took.

"Ricky the Idiot," he acknowledged, and Mickey smiled at him.

"Everytime."

"I never did say sorry about stealing Rose, did I?" Mickey shook his head as the Doctor spoke. "Well, I'm not sorry I took her. She's fantastic. Look after her."

Mickey nodded, letting go of the Doctor's hand as he moved on to Howard, re-extending his hand – but found Howard instead grabbed him into a huge bone-crushing hug.

"Doctor, you've been like a son ter me!" he almost broke the Doctor's rib cage with his clamp of a hug, the Doctor fully relieved to be let go once more.

"You're a good granddad, Howard," he said, wincing at the shot of pain through his ribs from the 'hug'. He finally turned to Jackie, this time being the one to lead a hug with her, being careful of the baby girl in her arms.

"I know you'll look after them all anyway," the Doctor said in her ear, and she nodded. "So look after yourself too."

She even kissed him on the cheek to mark a final farewell, knowing life with the two Time Lord children and no Doctor to guide them would be difficult – although not impossible. The Doctor reached down to his little girl and traced a thumb over her cheek, dabbing a loving kiss to her.

"I know your mum'll name you right. Grow you up to be everything you can be, Rory too. I'm just sorry I won't be there to see it."

He took a step back and turned once more to the entire group, giving a small salute to them all, to which they returned.

"Allons-y then, can't keep _Her_ waiting," he said as he walked over to the doors, resting a hand on the handle and pulling. The TARDIS did obviously not like this one bit as it refused to open, forbidding him from stepping outside.

The Doctor sighed, realising he had not even told his beloved timeship goodbye – perhaps through the denial that this was the last time he'd ever see her. He sighed, lifting his hand and resting it against the wooden white door.

"I want you to take good care of them like you always do," he said with a small smile, head dropping onto the wood. "We've had some great times together, haven't we? You're the only one thing that's stayed with me all these years – I'll miss you. You've always been there, giving me the nudges in the right direction. Thank you, and I know you're upset but we both know this has got to be done."

The TARDIS seemed to stop giving her usual whirl of mechanics and air hissing and rattling through pipes for a moment, as if taking a deep breath. Quietly, the door clicked.

"Thanks," he'd said, pulling the door open and slipping outside to the world beyond.

There she was, already waiting withy Rose next to her, held in some kind of restrictive field. The Doctor looked down to her, giving her a broad grin.

"I'm glad you came to a sensible decision, Doctor." The purple woman waved a hand and Rose immediately started forwards as the barrier dropped, falling onto the Doctor for protection. He obediently held her.

"I want you to get back to the TARDIS right now. The automatic program will take you back home."

"I can't leave you…" she whispered, looking up from resting her head on his chest before he kissed her softly.

"Yes, you can. Go Rose. Please."

"B-but…" she stammered, torn in two.

"No buts. Get back into the TARDIS or I'll throw you in myself."

"Doctor…"

The Doctor's eyes darkened. "Do it Rose!"

Rose finally nodded, pressing one last kiss to his cheek before dashing to the TARDIS. She hovered outside the doors for a moment, just watching him watch her before slipping inside. The Doctor had a backup plan, right? He was going to get out of this, like he always did. He wanted her safely out of the way before he initiated it…

She ignored the crowds in the TARDIS and dashed over to the monitor, watching the camera to the outside and waiting for his last minute turn of the tables.

But as the woman raised a hand and the Doctor collapsed backwards into a deep sleep, Rose realised there was _no_ backup plan. The engines burst into life and the central column pulsated loudly up and down, Rose's eyes still fixed to the monitor as it faded to black, her Doctor with it.


	27. A Night To Remember

A/N: Welp, you may ormay not finally get that mystery solved about the boy on the bus in Ramble 1...

And note, some of the formatting is being mean and not doing what it's supposed to...I can't format anything in the uploading page anymore! (Cries)

* * *

Chapter 27 – A Night To Remember 

**Rory Sigma-Tyler, Earth, November 2006 AD.**

Rory couldn't believe this.

He'd just caught the bus to _escape_his past parents and here they were again, sitting directly infront of him. Rassilon, this was just bad luck. He desperately needed to find the TARDIS so he could get back to _his_family. This was too dangerous to mess with.

But he was still intrigued as to their actions.

His mum was tense; he could feel her fear almost like it was screaming "LOOK AT ME!!! I'M HERE!!!"…but fear for what? What had happened? She had seemed so collective and charismatic but five minutes ago…

He blocked their conversation out for reasons of just not wanting to know. He wasn't entitled to listen in and he didn't particularly want to either. These were his _parents_for crying out loud, if he did anything to interfere with the course of events his whole life might change…

"Promise, promise, promise!" his dad was saying childishly, and somehow Rory couldn't help but stare at his mum, reading her nervous expression. Her jaw was dropped wide open as if wanting to form some words, but unable to shape her mouth.

Then everything about her eyes changed.

They were no longer filled with the dread of doing…whatever she was about to do. They were bright, fearful and shocked – and not only that, but also seemed to be gazing at a point over the Doctor's shoulder through the bus window.

He followed her gaze to the world outside, only just about registering his mum's screamed before his dad yelled for everyone to get down before the lorry smashed into the side of the bus, causing instant blackout.

* * *

** Rose Sigma-Tyler and family, Earth, March 2007 AD.**

The TARDIS obediently took them straight into the flat.

The moment they stepped inside Rose tore it to her bedroom and threw herself onto the bed, head buried in the pillow like a grief-ridden teenager. She silently wept for him, hearing the door open but not even bothering to look up.

She felt a hand reach out to rest on her shoulder supportively – but then she just snapped like a dry twig.

"Don't touch me!" she screamed and threw out her arm to bat away whosever hand it was, flipping over to stare at both Jack and her mother gazing down at her with heavy, guilty eyes. "You let him do it, you_knew _it and you let him!"

"It's not like we 'ad any choice sweetheart, we tried to stop 'im but 'e wouldn't listen…"

Rose's face was tear-streaked with her eyes narrowed – anger the facial expression of the day.

"You_know _he doesn't listen! You should've knocked him out! Strapped him to the wall or somethin', _anythin'!!!"_Her eyes suddenly turned immensely dark, alarmingly like the Doctor when he was thinking a sinister thought. "You haven't seen what she can do, mum. You haven't seen what she'll do to the Doctor…what she's probably doin' right now. Sh…she…before…" She swallowed back the onset of further tears, checking Rory was indeed out of the room before she spoke: "…She nailed him to a wall, mum…right in front of me."

"I know," was all she had to say before Jack was finally allowed to touch Rose, drawing her into a supportive hug.

"Rose?"

The voice came from the doorway; it was Mickey holding a white envelope with the word '**Rose**' printed on the front in the Doctor's handwriting. Mickey held it out to her, and she tentively took it.

"It was on the kitchen table."

"Thanks," Rose replied, digging her nail in to rip open the flap. She pulled out a DVD-rom, staring at it for a moment before rushing through the doorway and into the sitting room. She slipped the DVD into the disc drive and took a seat infront of the television, Rory beside her whilst Jackie held the baby girl.

It was the Console Room of the TARDIS, a camera recording outwards. There was a brief moment of silence before the Doctor suddenly appeared, sitting down infront of it. Strangely the sight of him made her spring back into helpless tears once more. He tap the screen, as if checking it was working.

"_Rose, if you're watching this it means I'm either dead or disappeared or left behind in a dumpster somewhere – basically, I'm gone. Here's hoping you'll never have to watch this DVD, but obviously when you see this you'll kinda have had it happened anyway so that would be irrelevant and umm…" _he paused for a moment, frowning, _"forget that last bit. Let's skipped straight to the brunt of it. Pre-cautions for you. __One: Rose, if you're crying, I want you to stop right now because I can't bear to see you cry."_

"But you're not here to see me cry…" Rose pointed out; aware she was talking to a load of pixels on a television screen.

"_Don't give me that. You know I'm always there; I'm always with you…Rory and my baby girl, for starters. Couldn't get away from me even if you tried."_

Rose gave a small laugh, though it was more out of anguish than actual humour.

"_Two, regeneration. If Rory or the as-of-yet unnamed child have to regenerate, he's gonna have a hard time. The first is always the worst. When it happens, take him straight to the Zero Room; the TARDIS'll guide you. He'll need a few hours to recover."_

Rose nodded as if he could actually see her.

"_Three, the TARDIS. I know I'm the only one who can fly the TARDIS, so you'll be stuck on Earth for a fairly long time unless anyone discovers the TARDIS manual anywhere, I lost it __**way**__ back. Only Time Lords can fly the TARDIS…" _he waved his hand ineffectually. _"Long story about manufactured genes, you don't wanna know._

"_Umm…where was I?" _Rose giggled. _"I think four. Is there a fourth? Oh yes. All of you. Every one of you standing there, you've been the family I lost and I'm thanking you for it. So be sure to look after each other._

"_Seven…three? No…well, next one anyway: don't give up. Never lose hope. There is always a chance, no matter how slim that I'll get back to you, but I could've changed. So if a strange ginger headed man with dodgy teeth confronts you as the Doctor, then chances are it's probably me. Tragic, I know, but true._

"_Move on with your life. Rose, marry Mickey or…if you're that desperate, Jack. Pretend Jack's the father of my kids if you like. If I'm not gonna be there they still need an icon, and I couldn't think of much better than Jack, really._

"_And I think that's about it. Is it? I think so. Oh…no…I want Rory and my little girl to be raised right. So Jack, no guns. Or gender confusing. I know what you're like. One of my worst fears is probably regenerating into a homosexual and I don't want kids with gender issues. Got it?" _He paused for a few seconds, getting up and pulling away to the side.

Jack was about to switch it off when the Doctor suddenly came back on the screen, as if a thought had just struck him. He looked to the floor for a moment, before looking back up once more into the camera.

"When I'm gone Rose, I don't want you to feel any guilt."

"Doctor…"

"Listen to me. A lot's happened to us over the past year, and there were times when we were both very afraid. But I want you to know that I still think you are the best thing that ever happened to me. You gave my life meaning and joy, and you will be a part of me forever."

And then the screen blacked out to nothing.

Rose felt a small hand rest on her arm, and turned her head to see Rory sitting there, staring up at her with sad brown eyes. She immediately turned, wrapping her arms around her son and enveloping him in a hug. She kissed him lightly on the cheek, blinking back even more tears.

They were on their own now.

* * *

**Rory Sigma-Tyler, Earth, November 2006 AD.**

To say he was disoriented would be an understatement. Rory sure hoped he personally wasn't dead, and that his dad could fix him back up when he finally got back to the planet he was supposed to be on.

He was still _here. Here _was not a very good place at all, smoky and – as far as he could tell –dead quiet. There was moaning, coughing, but nothing much happening in the way of movement.

He pushed himself up onto both hands, quickly peering around the bus seats for his mum and dad.

Oh no. Please, no.

He moved towards his lifeless mum slowly, trying not to disturb the points on his body where it hurt the most. He took her plainly broken wrist and checked for a pulse – she was still going. Good. A quick scan with his eyes told him from what he could see she hadn't acquired anything desperately serious and life-threatening.

He lifted his head – across the bus he could see his father also unconscious, and seemed to be bleeding heavily with a few limbs in irregular places. It wasn't supposed to happen like this, surely?! He looked dead…

Backing away and getting onto two feet Rory made to get out and call for help, but instead cried out as a slash of pain cut across his ankle. He stumbled backwards and fell onto the ragged and torn bus seat, trying to compose himself.

"Doctor!"

His mum was calling for his dad, desperately. He watched as his dad slowly came to, blinking and staring up at his mum's face groggily. It was hard to decipher words but next thing Rory knew his mum was standing above him, handing out a hand to his.

"C'mon, we're gettin' out of here!" she was saying, and for a moment he just remained paralysed, staring at her slightly cut face. After a few seconds he was able to move and take her hand, whimpering slightly as he tried to avoid his injured foot. She helped him limp over to the vague direction he knew the entrance to the bus was, only to find it blocked by fallen debris. She turned back to his dad, and for the first time Rory could seriously see the damage – and it wasn't in the least bit pretty. It was amazing he was conscious, to be honest.

"Doctor!" his mum was saying, "the entrance is blocked!"

"Hold on!" his dad yelled, moving towards the back of the bus just before the front axles split, almost sending all three of them crashing back down to the floor. His dad cast a glance back towards them before advancing forward to the back window, and plunging a fist straight through it. He turned, and beckoned them.

Minutes later Rory was sat outside helping to tend to some people's wounds, extremely wary of his own. He really should be getting back to the TARDIS right now, if he even knew where to find it. But his dad was still inside the bus, and he didn't want to leave until he was sure he was out.

Then he saw his mum. She was sat on the edge of the pavement staring at the wreckage in a trance. Thinking about the Doctor, obviously.

He moved towards her.

"I'm so sorry," he said from behind her, "he saved everyone's lives. He shouldn't have to die this way."

Then to his complete and utter alarm, she began to cry. He shuffled nervously, unsure.

"There's always a chance…"

"He's dead," she interrupted in a broken voice, "he has to be." She turned towards him and for a moment seemed to stare – did she know?

"What's your name?" she asked. Obviously not.

"Rory," he said with a half-smile. "What's yours?"

"Rose."

"Don't give up on him Rose," he continued, reaching out for her hand. "I'm sure he's alive. You can't give up. I can tell you're not the type to give up."

She paused for a moment as Rory urged his words to be the ones of confidence, smiling as she launched to her feet letting go of his hand to address the crowd – but then the back axles split, and with them Rose's confidence.

She slowly shrunk back to sitting position, but Rory was having this. This was his _father;_he had to try everything in his power to save him. He reached for Rose's hand again.

"You can do it Rose."

And with that she was on her feet, a new confidence brimming out of nowhere.

"Oi!" she yelled to the crowd to initiate a rescue plan, and, knowing his work was done, Rory slipped away into the night.


	28. Parents To Be

**A/N: **If anyone IS confused just PM me…though it should be relatively simple as long as I call myself a writer :P

Oh, and apologies for the out-of-characterness of especially the Ninth Doctor, I've never written as him before so he's a bit of a weak spot, I'll work on it :)

* * *

Chapter 28 – Parents To Be

**The Ninth Doctor and Rose Tyler, Earth, June 2005 AD.**  


The Doctor loved Rose Tyler. He loved her enthusiasm for the adventure, the adrenaline in the chase and the overflowing bubbling excitement she got everytime she opened the TARDIS to a brave new world. He was so glad he had decided to go back for her, because one day – even if it wasn't with him – Rose Tyler would become something amazing.

Well, that was what was floating through his mind as he watched the human in question bounce up and down on her heels infront of him excitedly, blonde hair bouncing as she did so.

"Can we go see my mum? Pretty please Doctor? It's been ages."

"Of all the places on all the planets in all the cosmos you want to go to the Powell Estate to see your mother?" the Doctor asked disbelievingly in his Northern accent, folding leather-clad arms.

"Yeah," she answered with a nod. "Please?"

With a sigh, the Ninth Doctor turned to set the co-ordinates, wondering just how hard Jackie was going to slap him this time.

* * *

**Rory Sigma-Tyler.**

Rory had found the lost TARDIS.

Disoriented, he had tried to operate it to get it back to Yechia but he could hardly see the controls for the blurriness. He knew he needed medical treatment but he couldn't do it without his dad, and _he_ was currently over twenty centuries away on a completely different planet in a completely different galaxy within a completely different solar system.

He felt the TARDIS land but who could tell where? He tried to check the monitor – too fuzzy to decipher. Was he concussed or just temporarily disoriented? Either way, he _had_ to get back to his dad.

Stepping out of the TARDIS he blinked to focus his vision, wandering forwards slightly in a daze. He almost walked straight into the blue wood of the second TARDIS he seemed to have conveniently landed by.

Okay, so this wasn't Yechia, but it was the next best thing – his parents. Even if they_were_ his past parents he could probably get some help, work his way around it. The TARDIS would help; he knew she would. She knew of his existence from the moment she was born, as of every other living being in the Universe.

He pushed against the door, which swung open surprisingly easily. Rory silently thanked the TARDIS, limping along the ramp holding his head before finally looking up to the occupants within.

Okay, he wasn't expecting that.

The man in the leather jacket stepped forward to confront him, just in time to catch the boy in his arms as he collapsed into unconsciousness.

"Whoa!" Rose gasped, running forward towards the boy as the Ninth Doctor turned back to her, quickly setting the body on the ground and checking him over. "I'll call an ambulance!"

"Wait," the Doctor said quickly, whipping out the Sonic Screwdriver and adjusting the setting, pressing the light blue tip against the bleeding area. "There isn't enough time. Severe bleeding – acute subdural hematoma. Quickly get him to the Infirmary; keep the Sonic Screwdriver against his head, I need to check something."

Rose nodded, taking the boy to the Infirmary quickly. She disappeared out the door, and the Doctor turned back to the monitor with a frown evident on his face, tapping at some random buttons. It wasn't…could it be? No…his senses had to be affected by something in some way, they had to…

His eyes widened as he read the results on the monitor.

Not quite sure what he was feeling, the Doctor turned to go to the Infirmary.

**Lifeform Scan: Human (x1) Time Lord (x2).**

* * *

Rory's head hurt. 

No, it _really _hurt.

He groaned as he began to come to, opening heavy eyes to meet his mum's gaze above him. It took him a few moments to recall where he was and what had happened, watching her reel slightly at the sight of his golden eyes before reasserting herself.

"Feeling better?" she asked, smiling down at him. She was holding his hand, and for that he was grateful. He opened his mouth to speak but found it impossible, so he settled for just blinking directly at her. She smiled. "Good. Don't be scared, we're gonna take good care of you, okay? The Doctor's checking your scans now.

If it was anyone else checking his scans Rory would've jumped up immediately and pelt it to the nearest exit – but this was the Doctor, and so maybe he'd receive the education of another Time Lord a little early, but if needs be Rory could block both his parent's memories at their consent.

"Can you speak?" his mum was asking, "what's your name?"

He concentrated on forming the word. "Rory," he finally muttered weakly, closing his eyes for a moment before opening them once more.

"Can you remember what happened?"

"Crash," he answered, wincing at some more pain. She looked concerned.

"D'you want somethin' to kill the pain? Penicillin? Aspirin?" she questioned, looking up at the Doctor as he wandered towards them both, a sheet of paper in hand.

"No, bad. Dad says we're ana…anaphylactic."

This seemed to grab the Doctor's attention, and he sat down on the edge of the bed staring into Rory's eyes.

"Bad results?" Rory asked tentively, giving a small grin. The Doctor took a deep breath.

"Well, excluding your golden eyes: you've got an extra spleen; your red blood cell count is high enough to be equal to a human's at high altitude; your lungs are smaller than a human's, leaving enough room to grow another organ in your chest; allergy to penicillin...and that's only the beginning."

He gave Rory a long, hard stare.

"You're a Time Lord Human, on your first body."

Rory just stared back for a moment.

"Yes."

Suddenly the Doctor's hard stare turned into a goofy grin, setting the paper aside as he drew the boy Time Lord into a hug. "That's fantastic!" he was yelling in delight, "I knew it!"

Rose was beaming too as the Doctor drew back. "Where you from?" his dad asked.

"The future," Rory answered simply, wondering if he should really be spilling this much information to parents so far in the past his dad hadn't regenerated yet.

"How far?"

He paused. "What ye…year is this?"

"2005 AD."

"Three years. My m…mum and dad are stu…stuck, can you take…me ho…home?"

The Doctor's grin slowly started to melt. "Your…parents," he repeated slowly, and even though he hadn't voiced it, Rory knew it was slotting seamlessly into place in the Doctor's mind.

But for Rose, it wasn't so apparent. "Doctor! That means there's another couple of Time Lords wanderin' about right now!"

"Not quite, Rose," the Doctor said, staring into Rory's golden eyes. "I'd have preferred not to have known that but since I now know, I might as well hear the story. You don't look much like me. Regeneration?

Rose's jaw dropped as Rory affirmed, "yeah. Gran says I lo…look a lot like him." The Doctor suddenly realised 'gran'…implied Jackie Tyler. He struggled not to wince.

Rose's head however, was spinning.

"Re-what? Looks like you? Are you sayin' what I think you're sayin'?"

The Doctor looked up, grinning once more. "Rose Tyler, you're as sharp as a tack." He turned back to Rory. "And I'm presuming…?"

Rory nodded to confirm Rose's impending motherhood. Rose's jaw finally hit the floor with a thud.

"That's…that's…" she stuttered, shocked. "Wow."

"Well until you can walk you're not really gonna be able to do much," the Doctor said, lifting Rory's hurting foot and setting it gently down on top of a cushion resting on the cover before buzzing away merrily with the Sonic. "It's fractured, but with your recovery rate healing should be pretty quick. I'd give you a week until you're well enough to move around."

"Thanks a lo…lot, mum, dad," Rory said with a thankful smile, closing his eyes as slept overpowered him. The Doctor and Rose gazed at each other, the matter of visiting Jackie Tyler suddenly forgotten with this new predicament.

Mum…and…dad?

There was a brief moment of silence between them, before the Doctor turned, and began to treat his son's injured foot.

* * *

**Rose Sigma-Tyler and family, Earth, March 2007 AD.**

The morning after the Rose's husband had left with _Her_no one felt much like talking.

The Tyler flat was completely silent during breakfast, only occasionally broken by the odd request to "pass the jam". Move on, he had said. But how could she? She had just finished feeding his second child and now Rory wanted to play a game – she supposed it was good in a way to take her mind off of it, but nothing could stop her thinking of that huge, awful gap in her heart where once the Doctor sat forever.

But then at 2:00pm in the afternoon, something extraordinary happened.

First of all there was a knock at the door. Jack was the first to get up, moving to the front door and pulling it open.

And stared at nothing. He blinked, surprised, before he turned, and made to go back inside again.

Then something wailed.

His gaze was instantly ripped down to the floor, surprise and bewilderment at what he saw. He fell to his knees, picking up the small baby lying on the doorstep, crying their heart out.

"Jack, what is it?" Rose called from inside, and he heard footsteps coming up behind him as he rose to his feet, still holding the crying baby carefully. "That sounds like…"

He turned, and she stopped dead in her tracks.

"…One of them," she finished blankly. "Where'd they come from?" she asked, moving inside as Jack shut the door behind them both. She sat down on the sofa for a moment, just holding the child. "Where's the parents?"

Jack was the first to notice the slip of paper tucked inside the blankets, withdrawing it and opening it carefully.

"_Her name's Zoë," _he read aloud, _"please look after her. One day you'll understand."_


	29. Whatever Happened To Our Doctor?

**A/N:**This plot isn't as bad as Ramble 2. Basically, all that's happened is future Rory has come back to the past to the bus crash in Ramble 1, saved his parents, got hurt, accidentally went back even further into the past to the Ninth Doctor who is now helping him. On the other side of the tracks, the Tenth Doctor has given himself up for Rose and now a mysterious baby has just appeared on the doorstep. That I_ can't_ tell you anymore about…coz I don't really know :D. That's as deep as you need to think right now :P

So, whatever _did_ happen to our Doctor?

* * *

Chapter 29 – Whatever Happened To Our Doctor?

**The Tenth Doctor, Location Unknown, Date Unknown.**

The Doctor yawned widely, feeling himself lying in a comfy bed, warm and as happy as a cat lain on a rug by the fire. Not even bothering to open his eyes he automatically stretched out an arm to find Rose lying somewhere next to him, but his arm clutched at thin air.

"Rose?" he asked with another yawn, opening his deep brown eyes and propping himself onto an elbow. He allowed his eyes to adjust to the brightness of the room, instantly realising this was infact, not the TARDIS. It wasn't even Jackie's flat.

He examined his unfamiliar surroundings with intent; he was lying in a King-Sized white silk-sheeted bed in a huge royal-looking beautifully decorated room – the main colour of variation being purple. Elegant purple curtains hung from the vast window, outside of which nothing but a long expanse of forest for as far as the eye could see. He could hear the happy singing of birds outside, but apart from that the room was silent.

He frowned and rubbed his head, trying to recall what had happened and what this place was. A trade. Yes, that had been it. Rose, Rory and Jack…Mickey and Howard…Jackie and Bob…he'd lost them all. Someone had taken him prisoner – although it sure didn't feel like it.

He slid out of the comfy bed, getting to his feet. He staggered as a wave of dizziness suddenly hit him, making him fall sideways and almost collapse onto the bedside table, only just about stopping himself. He lifted his head, managing to catch his own dazed reflection in a long polished mirror set conveniently infront of him. He'd been redressed into grey silk pyjamas.

He glanced at the analogue clock on the bedside table: 7:00pm. He must still be on Earth – having a clock on the bedside table was just so remarkably human. He had no idea had long it had been…a day? A week? Maybe even a month. Maybe he'd already been rescued and he'd been unconscious for the entire ordeal? He _knew _being a captive, and it sure didn't feel like this. Usually being held captive included chains and bars and fat men holding electric rods but he was standing in a room of luxury.

His eye caught something lain carefully out at the bottom of the bed he had woken up in – his own suit and coat, freshly laundered and newly pressed. Even his converses had been somehow washed, never before looking so immaculate and pristine white.

Silently, he began to get dressed.

He was just pulling on his second shoe before there was a sudden knocking sound at the grand oaken door, and he called in a singsong voice for the knocker to enter. A short, pixie looking figure looked up at him with big sad eyes, some kind of blue residual purple energy tingling on its skin. This being was psychic, the image probably created purely out of memories.

"My La-Lady re-requests your pre-presence in the D-Dining Hall, Sir D-Doc-Doctor," it stuttered, plainly terrified.

"Thanks," the Doctor said, straightening as he pulled on his jacket. "I'll find it."

"Pl-please Sir, I am s-supposed to t-take y-you there…"

"It's okay, I can find it myself," the Doctor tried again, concerned for the being. It was enslaved unwillingly, he could tell.

"N-no please, Sh-she'll k-kill me for di-disobey-ying H-her…"

The Doctor frowned, pulling on his coat as he made towards the creature. It whimpered, cowering as though it were expecting the Doctor to hit it.

"Hey, I'm not gonna hurt you," he said, dropping to its level and slowly extending a hand to rest on its shoulder. "I know what's been done to you, and I promise, I will get you all out of this. I had no choice in being here either."

It paused for a moment, flinching as the Doctor's hand rested on its shoulder, but finally accepting the Doctor as an ally and giving a strained smile.

"Thank you," it said, and turned to lead the Doctor to the Dining Hall.

* * *

"Oh, Doctor darling, how're you feeling?" were the unexpected words that greeted him as he stepped warily through the huge Dining Hall door, entering the most absolutely stunning and vast room he'd ever seen in his entire life…and that was saying something. The decoration was purple yet relatively simple, though it looked even grander than the room he'd woken up in. His eyes dropped from the engravings on the ceiling to the long royal table, almost as long as the room itself. 

The woman who had spoken was standing up, waving one of Her arms in the direction of the door behind him he had failed to shut – She didn't even touch it, but it carefully swung shut, the door bolt sliding into place almost magically.

"I hope my slaves weren't too rough when they brought you here." She smiled a pearly white smile, seemingly gliding towards him from across the Hall.

"No, no, ma'am I'm fine," he answered, trying not to sound as confused and helpless as he felt.

"Please, call me Khthonia, as in an epithet of Hekate, unless of course you wish to call me by my real name: Khrusosandalaimopotikhthonia."

_G__old-sandalled-blood-drinking-queen-of-the-underworld._ "A fitting name," he muttered. Khthonia just smiled back.

"Please, take a seat my dearest, you must be hungry after your long journey and sleep."

Figuring it was probably the best move to make at the current time, he moved towards Her as She sat once again at the head of the lonely table, piles and piles of human looking food spread out across the top. There was another place already set up on Her immediate left, which the Doctor took.

"Help yourself to nourishment. Now, I guess you're wondering why I brought you here?"

"Never even crossed my mind," the Doctor answered absently as he reached out for some bread, feeling guilty for his gluttony but he was absolutely starving.

"No?" She seemed a little put out by his answer, but carried on regardless. "I've been watching your exploits all around the Universe, Doctor," She said in that seductive voice that seemed somehow to echo inside his mind as She spoke them. She was a being of immense psychic control, he could tell. He was having a lot of trouble trying to block Her out of his mind. What species was She? She wasn't…no, so couldn't be. Could She?

"What are you?" he demanded to know, raising the glass of wine to his lips as he looked Her over carefully. "Human, with a few tweaks?"

"You are sharp-minded Doctor. Our child shall be one to be feared."

The Doctor instantly spluttered as the words passed Her lips, the wine he had just taken a sip of coming back out and spilling into the glass.

"I'm_ sorry?!" _the Doctor had to verify it to make sure he had heard right.

"Our child, the ultimate being of the Universe."

The Doctor had suddenly gone off of his food now, the glass of wine set back onto the table. "Forgive me, I may be being slightly dumb here, but how exactly are you wishing to acquire this Time Lord child?"

"I am an immortal human Doctor, and the child must be conceived naturally for the ultimate being."

"Why me? I'm not the most powerful being in the Universe, or even this world. There are plenty of people stronger than me that are purely human that might even be _willing_ to produce offspring with you." He couldn't actually believe he was saying this. He was pretty damn sure that there were laws against this kind of thing.

"Incorrect, Doctor," She said with a shake of the head, "you are the ultimate being. I studied you throughout my years of imprisonment and came to adore you. You are the last of your race; you can overthrow a world in six words, create love in three and destroy it again in just one. You live on by changing your body, and you even have a time travelling machine. I admire you, not only as a hero, but also as a man aswell. You have the choice to become the ruler of the Universe yet you choose not to accept that power. It takes more than a Time Lord to say no to such immense power."

"This is all very flattering," the Doctor began again, "but I already have a wife and two children – and a standby rebound," he added, in memory of the Captain.

"But what are they, Doctor? Humans. They never amounted to anything. You deserve so much better."

"I love them. Sorry, but that tends to make me a little blind to their specie's faults."

"Then love me,"She said shortly as She suddenly got onto her feet, for a moment just standing still – but as the Doctor was almost hypnotised by the bright green eyes; he suddenly began to get butterflies in his stomach, beginning to feel slightly sick with the way She was actually so powerfully psychic could control him whenever She fancied. She was starting to control his lust.

He tried desperately to fight it – but was proving useless. He wanted her, he _needed_ her, he was _yearning_ to take her, _hard._ He needed to be with her, to feel her baby soft skin, her petal warm lips pressed against his with a her radiant features glowing with pleasure…the way she would run her warm fingers caressingly through his hair, her touch being sparks of electrical delight…but all the while he knew he shouldn't be feeling this. He almost cried out as he began to slide down in the chair helplessly, suddenly feeling something wrapping around his chest, holding him up in the chair.

He was gasping for air now, determined not to let Her win and get that little satisfactory moan of ecstasy She was yearning to hear come out of his mouth.

"Don't fight it Doctor," he could hear Her saying in his head from a distance. "Give in to me…"

The Doctor knew he couldn't keep this up much longer. He was either going to pass out or just give in…and he was pretty determined it was going to be the former choice. Just as he thought he was going to totally collapse, the grip She had on him released as quickly as it had come, and him felt himself being pulled back up into the chair and the pressure around his chest tightened slightly to keep him from falling once more.

"Did that feel good, Doctor? Better than any mortal human could give you. I swear, my intentions were good whilst you are still pledged to another woman, mortal though she is,"She was saying, but he didn't want to hear Her. He was gasping for air, head resting on the back of the seat. He wasn't falling to this.

"You think that's the best I've had?" he gasped, "y'know, it's funny how I was thinking of Rose during that, not you."

Her face fell; morphed into an expression of anger and contempt.

"And here's me thinking we could have avoided the mess. Slaves!" She called, and although the Doctor couldn't turn his head to see them he heard the heavy footfalls of two slaves coming into the room. "Take the Doctor to the cells and chain him up, maybe a few days down there will help him come to a more sensible decision."

"Yes mistress," two automatics voices said in unison, and the pressure around his ribs loosened as he felt strong arms pick him up and drag him roughly onto his feet. He managed to force his head up, looking at Khthonia to meet a disappointed face.

He wasn't going to submit to Her twisted, sick request.


	30. Little Lottie

**A/N:** You can all thank **magic-doctor-writer** for the whole in bold 'name, place, date' thing, I was thinking about doing something like that but I didn't really know how to set it out. Bah. Whatever. I did it for the previous chapters too if you ever got confused.

* * *

Chapter 30 – Little Lottie

**Rose Sigma-Tyler and family, Earth, March 2007 AD.**

"Eh? What's another baby doin' 'ere?" Jackie wanted to know as Rose cradled the baby in both arms, treating her as if she were her own. The truth was, Rose wanted to know too. No one had the faintest clue at all what was going on.

Then her and the Doctors' baby girl started to cry in Jackie's arms, pining for recognition. Rose handed Zoë to Jack before taking her own child, checking for her discomfort. Nothing, as far as she could see. Probably just out for attention.

Rory leant forward from his place next to Jack on the sofa, staring at the new baby girl he held.

"She feels weird," he commented, "she's…there's something 'bout her, she's all weird…"

"Weird?" Rose's head snapped up, remembering last time he had said those words – the Doctor had turned out to infact be his evil doppelganger from the future. "What kinda weird sweetheart? Is it 'stretched-brain' weird?"

Rory shook his head. "No…she's got this kinda…light. Buzzing."

"Here, look at this," Jack said, pulling back the blankets from baby Zoë and delving his hand inside, picking out a small golden ring.

Rose recognised it instantly.

"That's…that's_his…"_

"I think he's sendin' us a message," Jack pointed out, rolling the wedding ring that was once the Doctor's between forefinger and thumb.

"A baby message?" Mickey asked, bewildered, "why would he send you a baby?"

She paused, and then shrugged. "I dunno. We don't even know whose baby it is."

"Whosever she is sweetheart, he wants us to look after her," Jackie said softly, "surely we owe 'im that?"

Rose was frowning. "There's somethin' deeper 'bout this, I _know_there is." She turned to her son, who was staring at the unnamed baby. "Tell me more about the buzzin'? What's it like?"

Rory hesitated for a moment, unsure. "Umm…it's sorta how like daddy and the baby feels, they buzz louders when they're closer, but it's a kinda nice buzzes, not bad or anything…it's just like…like I'm not alone. You got the buzz too, mummy, and Uncle Jack. But Uncle Jack's is different, it's…wrong."

Jack opened his mouth to ask a question, but the unnamed child got there first with a sudden burst of tears. Rose held her tighter, shushing her to silence. Jack quickly moved to give Zoe to Jackie, before he went to turn off the television.

"I think she's just tired," Jackie said, and Rose nodded.

"She's really teeny," Rory suddenly said, staring at the girl.

"Yep," Jack agreed, moving to Rose and taking the baby into both arms. "Soon she'll be really big and be able to beat you up. Or was that just_my_ sister?" He grinned, looking up at Rose. For the first time since the Doctor had been taken, he saw her smiling. "Or _sisters._Plural." He began to reminisce, staring off into the distance. "Aww, little Lottie, she sure could aim her foot."

Rose suddenly went rigid, meeting his gaze.

"Little Lottie?" she asked, eyes wide. "Lottie."

"Lottie?" Jack repeated.

"…It's perfect," she said, tucking the girl in her blankets. "My little Lottie. Would he like it?"

Jack smiled reassurance. "Rose, he'd _love_it."

She smiled for a moment, accepting this before she sighed heavily, suddenly overcome by despair. "I need him back, Jack," she muttered, and Jack nodded.

"If we could we would Rose, you know that."

She was looking up at him now, tears in her eyes. "I can't just sit here knowin' he's in danger. She's hurtin' him, I know She is…why is it always him? Why can't She leave us in peace?"

"He's a Time Lord, Rose," Jack reminded her as he gave her back baby Lottie carefully, who had now become quiet. "It comes with the job."

"We've just got to accept there's nothin' we can do sweetheart," Jackie said truthfully, "he's gone now, we've got to move on."

"Your mum's right Rose," Mickey carried on with a nod, "we know how you feel but the Doctor's gone, nothing can ch-"

Mickey was suddenly cut off in mid-flow as Rose screamed, infuriated, "how can _you _know what I'm feelin'?! You've never been through this before! You don't know anythin'!!!"

Mickey suddenly looked uncomfortable. "I was just tryin' to-"

"Well don't try! I don't need your sympathy!" Rose yelled, Lottie back in tears. "Stop tryin' to tell me what I feel!!!"

"We're not sweetheart," Jackie tried to calm her daughter down. "We're just-"

"Get away from me! _All _of you!!!"

She roughly took Rory's hand and stormed out of the flat to the street below. She didn't stop her strut until she reached the TARDIS, strolling inside and falling into the Captain's chair, shushing Lottie and kissing Rory on the head. She knew she shouldn't be displaying this kind of attitude in front of her children, but as Rory's lower lip began to tremble Rose couldn't help but break down into tears.

* * *

**The Ninth Doctor, Rose Tyler and Rory Sigma-Tyler, Earth, June 2005 AD.**

Rose and the Ninth Doctors' efforts over the next few days were solely into helping their future son through his injuries.

Rory wasn't lying, at any rate. The Doctor had checked his genes which the TARDIS affirmed to be an amalgamation of Rose's and a Time Lord's, no doubt his in a different body. He didn't know whether to laugh or cry at the existence of this child, and all others like him. This was exactly what he hadn't wanted. He had specifically come out of the War promising himself never to have a family again – least of all with a human – when losing them hurt so much.

What had made his future self fall for Rose? She was a nice girl and all, but at this stage she was equated to a best friend; he could never love her any other way.

True to his father's word, due to the ever-helpful advantage of Time Lord healing rates it took less than a week for Rory to be back on his feet (if but a little painfully). Soon he was healthy enough to go back home, and the Doctor was only too happy to take him, having developed a fatherly bond with his son.

"I'll take you there but your father will have to bring us back, and wipe our memories," the Ninth Doctor was saying as he, Rose and Rory passed into the future TARDIS, now moved a few miles down the road with the Ninth Doctor's, out of Jackie's sight to avoid complications.

"Okay, I think I know where he'll be," Rory said with a nod, walking with a slight limp to fall into the Captain's chair as the Ninth Doctor began to programme the TARDIS. "If he's not then I'm totally stuffed."

There was a slight jolt but nothing major as the TARDIS dematerialised, the old girl no doubt taking care of Rory in his wounded state. They landed.

"Back in a sec," Rory said, limping to the door and stepping out into the big wide world. He looked up, and let go a gasp of surprise.

This wasn't Yechia, oh no. This _definitely_wasn't the 43rd century. Because right here, right now, he could see yet another TARDIS standing motionless in the Powell Estate.

"Aww dad you idiot…" Rory moaned, turning back around to go into the TARDIS, but almost found himself run over by the Ninth Doctor and Rose bustling out.

"Not Yechia?" Rose asked mildly, looking around at their surroundings.

"A very London-y Yechia," Rory supplied, looking up at his father, who was frowning.

He went to protest, but stopped himself just in time. "…Back in the TARDIS then," he said in his Northern accent. The other two nodded as he turned to re-enter the TARDIS, almost walking into him as he stopped, pulling at the door handle.

"She's not letting us in…" he said, giving a few hearty tugs on the worn blue doors. "She's locked us out."

Rory moved forward to rest his hand on the door, closing his eyes. "She says…she says we've got some business to take care of here first."

"You can speak to the TARDIS?" the Doctor questioned, staring into Rory's eyes as the boy took his hand off of the TARDIS and turned back to his parents. "Did I teach you?"

Rory shook his head. "No, I've just…always had it. She always used to speak to me when I was a kid."

"Your eyes are brown now too," Rose pointed out, and Rory nodded.

"Only gold when I'm inside the TARDIS. Dad doesn't have the foggiest, he thought it was 'cause I was born in there but Lottie has it, and she was born in a hospital."

Rose was about to ask him another question, but the Rory spoke before she could open her mouth. "And who's gonna argue with her? Allons-y, as the saying goes," he said, and moved straight into the second TARDIS. The Ninth Doctor blinked, not used to being ordered about as Rose giggled at his expense.

Rory was in the second TARDIS. Somehow he'd expected it to be different, but here it was, the same old TARDIS. This only difference was the girl sat on the Captain's chair, his mum, holding a baby and…himself.

She looked up, cheeks tear tracked with her eyes puffy and swollen.

And stared.

"R-Rory…?" she stuttered, unable to believe her own presumption.

"Mum," Rory said simply, staring into her eyes. Without even knowing it he was limping forward to her, ready to be suctioned into a hug. "Are you okay?"

"Why are you limpin'?" she demanded to know as she grabbed him with the arm not holding her daughter in place, hugging him tight.

Before Rory even had a chance to reply the TARDIS door burst open once more, and the Ninth Doctor stepped casually through the doorway. Rose almost felt like fainting, but instead let go of the teenage Rory and sat up, staring at him as though he were a ghost.

"It's you…" she whispered in disbelief, "it's old you…"

"Mum, where's dad?" Rory was asking, managing to tear Rose's gaze from the Ninth Doctor and her past self. She began to well up once more.

"He…he got taken…" she sobbed, drawing in the younger Rory once more. The teenage Rory looked up at the Ninth Doctor, pausing for a moment before a huge grin spread on his face very much like his true father's.

"Dad, I think we just found that business to take care of."

* * *

**A/N:** Lottie! I never said Lottie or Charlotte, did I:D 


	31. Castle Of Macheath

**A/N:**I've never watched Phantom Of The Opera, I _think_I know what it's about…some ghost guy that got murdered there and falls in love with one of the actresses or something? I'm probably completely wrong. The actual name came from someone in my school in the year below me I know through the college council. Lottie is a nickname for Charlotte so I didn't want anyone getting confused – she's Lottie, no Charlotte involved.

Oooo extra note, Macheath is a name from The Threepenny Opera and I just needed a Scottish-sounding name (that WASN'T MacDonald) so Macheath was the best option :D

And don't worry, I'm confusing myself over the multiple Rose's too, don't worry, they'll be split up soon.

Time for Doctor whumping!

(PS: Billie's back! PSS: David's gonna be on Top Gear! PSS: I GOT A SONIC SCREWDRIVER! I'm not sad I swear...just...a tad childish.)

(PSSS: Don't go ice skating.)

(PSSSS: No really, don't.)

* * *

Chapter 31 – Castle Of Macheath

**The Tenth Doctor, Location Unknown, Date Unknown.**

Seconds felt like hours, hours felt like days. He didn't know how long he'd been down here; solitary confinement had a strange way of warping time like that. He hated this place. Not only were the chains wrapped around his arms and legs immensely heavy and freezing cold, but also the room was damp and mossy as well as completely gloomy to look at.

He didn't eat anything they gave him – it was probably full of weird psychic mind-controlling substance anyway. Everytime they came in he would try to engage the slaves into conversation – but obviously their memories and personality had been completely wiped long ago. He vaguely wondered whether he'd end up like that too.

He slipped in and out of consciousness for a while, fatigued and starved but remaining resolute that he wouldn't eat her food. His conscious hours felt like a dream, so when Eva appeared he was completely convinced he'd gone mad.

She appeared out of nowhere, gliding over to him before sitting crossed-leg infront with a weak smile on her face.

"Eva," he whispered, dazed. "Is that you?"

She nodded. "I tried so hard not to bring you here," she said with a sigh, long wavy blonde hair falling about her shoulders with her shining golden eyes assessing her weakened father. Her golden aura had never seemed so bright as it was now. It seemed to focus his energy a little more.

"Where _is_'here'?" he asked.

"A castle in Scotland, previously owned by a man named Macheath," she said, "She came to him, fatally injured and begging for sanctuary so he gave Her just that – and in return She took his home and threw him in the dungeons."

"Lovely lady," the Doctor muttered sarcastically. Eva smiled, resting her hands on the tight chains binding her father's arms together rigid. There was a tiny hue of golden energy, and slowly the chains slackened slightly. Were he a primitive species the Doctor would've claimed it an act of magic – but he knew that although the psychic's abilities resembled that of a magician's, it was all scientifically possible. He gave Eva a smile.

"Thanks."

"Sorry I can't take them off fully, She'd detect me."

"It's fine," he said quickly. "Are you okay?" was his next question, and she nodded.

"Are mummy and Rory okay? How's Lottie?"

The Doctor's eyebrows lowered in confusion. "Lottie?"

Eva's smile broadened. "Mummy named her Lottie."

He equalled her smile. "That's beautiful," he said before his eyes dropped to the floor, defeat flitting across his features. "…I only wish I could see her and Rory when they grow up."

"You will. You'll watch them grow up daddy, like you should."

The Doctor looked straight into her shining golden eyes – they were telling the truth of what she believed, no doubt about that. He nodded, confident. "You're right," he heard himself say, but right now he wasn't so sure. She detected this, sighing quietly as she shuffled forward and hugged him around his middle, head resting on his chest.

"I promise," she whispered, lingering for just a moment before shimmering away into nothingness, every particle of her being flying into the air and almost absorbed like the sky.

The door clicked open.

"Good morning," Khthonia said with a smile, gazing down at the Doctor still chained and weak.

"It is?" the Doctor asked tiredly, blinking a few times to get her into focus. She didn't reply, merely looked down at the trays of untouched food with a loud tutting sound.

"Why aren't you eating?" She asked gently, moving towards him and kneeling down to cup his chin. He tried to pull away but She waved a hand and he found himself completely paralysed. "I don't want you going hungry."

"Like I'm going to eat any of your food now," the Doctor retorted through gritted teeth, fighting Her control but failing dismally. "Just leave me here to rot."

"But that's no way to treat my future husband," She countered, "you must eat to keep your strength up."

"I'm not interested."

"Oh but sweetheart…" Khthonia began the mushy talk again, waving Her hand once more to make the chains fall limply to the floor and disappear in practically a puff of smoke. "Please, love me. We can be happy together. Have a child. Please be with me," She was begging, "please, I love you."

"No."

"Please."

"No."

"Please," She sounded more and more desperate everytime She uttered the word.

"No."

"This is your last chance," She warned, expression now grave.

"It's never gonna happen," he said defiantly, and She drew away, still holding his gaze.

"Then so be it," She said, Her expression suddenly turning into one of contempt for his reply. She raised a hand, outstretching it to him as She slowly began to clench Her fist – and the pain arrived.

Without even aware he had his mouth open he was screaming through the perpetual agony now coursing through his head and limbs, feeling himself lift off of the floor and get launched across the room smashing straight into the stone wall with an unhealthy crack and another fresh burst of pain somewhere around his rib cage.

"I warned you…" She breathed, and strangely he could hear it clearly ringing through his mind when he was screaming too much to hear Her speak. "Now you must pay the price…" She lifted Her hand once more and he went flying to the other side, a ringing pain now in his head from the impact. He fell to the floor, helpless as the chains reworked themselves around his arms and legs to prevent him struggling. He took a breath without even daring to raise his head, for some reason already knowing this was not going to end anytime soon.

* * *

**Rose Sigma-Tyler and family, Earth, March 2007 AD.**

"Bloody 'ell!" were Jackie Tyler's exact words to sum up the moment as she stared at the Ninth Doctor standing plain infront of her, sandwiched between two versions of Rose, a teenage boy that looked alarmingly like the one standing on his right complete with Lottie in her Rose's arms. "What's goin' on 'ere then?"

"Mum, meet the Doctor and Rose Tyler. You might already know 'em."

"Hey Doctor!" Jack gave a wave. "Hey the Doc's ears!"

The Ninth Doctor adopted his 'ignoring you' expression almost instantly. "You're not my friend in the future, are you?"

"Friend?!" Jack queried, raising a suggestive eyebrow. "The future you would me a 'friend', but I prefer 'sex buddy' or 'huggle muffin'."

The younger Doctor did not seem impressed.

Jack turned away, resigned, "Wow, forgot how emo you used to be…"

"Used to be?" Rose Tyler queried. "What happened…?"

Rose Sigma-Tyler's eyes seemed to travel down, disconnecting.

"He…changed."

"Regenerated," the Ninth Doctor supplied, moving over to the baby in Jackie's arms. "And this was all I left?"

"This too," Jack extended a hand with the ring out to the Ninth Doctor, who took it, examining it closely along with the older Rory's scrutiny. "That's his wedding ring."

"Hmm…"

Rose Sigma-Tyler sat down on the nearest available sofa, tired from worry whilst the boys continued to observe the ring together. The younger Rory took his placer next to her whilst the younger Rose sat down on the chair opposite, her expression one of bewilderment.

"So what's this…changed Doctor like?" the younger Rose suddenly asked, staring intently at her future counterpart.

Rose Sigma-Tyler smiled slightly. "He's thin yet with good muscles, amazing teeth and a grin that melts me everytime he gives me it. He's got thick brown hair that he can't control; makes it easy to ruffle up. He's got sideburns and deep brown eyes that are always sparkling full of life, and in the right light he gets freckles that are gorgeous. He always wears a suit with converses and a long tan coat that bounces about when he jumping around. He's so childish and happy all the time…and I love him."

"He sounds incredible," Rose Tyler said with a smile. "Just my kinda guy."

"He is," Rose Sigma-Tyler agreed, looking over at the other Doctor. He was holding up the ring to the light, as if trying to get some sort of feeling from it.

"Seems strange for him just to leave his ring," Jack was saying, Rory nodding in agreement. "There's gotta be somethin' 'bout it, right?"

"Okay, let's run this through," the Ninth Doctor began, digging about inside his pocket for something as he looked around at the gathered group. "He's lost, taken by someone capable of using extreme parapsychology – which we don't know the origins of yet – to do something to him we're also not sure of, though pretty sure it's not for cookies and cake," he said, taking out the TARDIS key and raising it towards the ring. "Then suddenly a baby appears on the doorstep, don't know how, don't know why…she comes with a note a ring we know belongs to him. What can we do?" he asked rhetorically, withdrawing the Sonic Screwdriver and pressing it against the TARDIS key, flicking it on. "This."

The room suddenly was enveloped in bright white light; the babies started crying as Jackie cried out in shock, simulated pictures forming in the whiteness as though it was actually around them.

They were in space.

"It'll fix a point and focus," the Doctor was saying loud and strong, reassuring them. "Just keep focused."

Then they began to move – or rather, the image did. Rose Sigma-Tyler couldn't help but wonder the uncanny resemblance it had to _The Mummy Returns _as they were suddenly thrown onto a rollercoaster ride across the infinite space. They were travelling even faster than the speed of light, a blur of planets and stars as the scenery suddenly stopped moving, focused on a Solar System.

"That's the Solar System of Earth," the Doctor explained before they began to move again, this time stopping and focusing on a galaxy. "Milky Way," he said, frowning, "He hasn't left the Galaxy."

Once again they zoomed across the Galaxy, passing Pluto, Neptune, Uranus…the younger Rory recited the names of them under his breath as he held onto his mother tightly in anxiety. Finally with a bone juddering halt the picture came to a stop, this time with a clear picture of Earth infront of them.

"He hasn't even left the planet," the teenage Rory said, bewildered. "Does that mean the person who took him is human?"

"Sheisn't human,"Rose Sigma-Tyler spat through gritted teeth, "She's a monster."

But before it could be elaborated they were off again, zooming straight down through the Earth's atmosphere to the countries below. They focused on the United Kingdom, cutting straight down and northwards towards Scotland, getting progressively faster and faster. They went further north up Scotland, zooming in on a point northwest of the country. They went in further and further spiralling downwards in chaos before focusing on a castle, and passing over the moat straight in through the front door.

It swivelled downwards, staring at the floor before it began to accelerate downwards through the concrete. They passed parapsychological barriers and heavy security, down, down, down into its dark depths until they reached a dungeon, dank and formidable looking. Both Rose's swallowed. It slowed down considerably as it turned down various off hanging corridors, though still went fast. It was going straight for a barred door as the end of the corridor, passing through it. A flash of purple shone in all their visions before a half-dead scream echoed through the entire flat, one of utter agony."

The picture turned to white and faded almost instantaneously, leaving the group in the flat staring at one another. The ones that knew him recognised that scream.

"I want him back," Rose Sigma-Tyler said firmly, tears welling up in her eyes. "I want him back, _now._"

* * *

**A/N: **On another note, it feels weird updating only one story…do you get that? It feels weird. Really must write another. 


	32. The Promised One

**A/N: **This chapter is short and crap. BUT...I just saw that clip! I'm well happy! Woot, ROOOOOOOOOSE!!! And the rumoured plot OMG that's like, a dream ep! (Squeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!)

Aaaaaaanyway...

* * *

Chapter 32 – The Promised One

**The Tenth Doctor, Macheath's Castle, Date Unknown.**

"Any changes?"

The slave looked up from the table he was sat at, jumping to his feet in surprise and fear at the woman currently standing infront of him, boring into his bright green eyes.

"N-n-no ma'am," he stuttered, nervous.

Khthonia sighed, casting Her gaze over to the Time Lord unconscious in the bed. She didn't want to force him awake. He had taken enough damage already, and needed to rouse by himself before She even _thought_ about curing him.

She sat on the bed next to him, running Her fingertips against his cut face, his entire body cleaner than it had been when she'd initially finished with him. He wasn't too pale, his strength prominent through the scars and bruises that littered his skin. She lowered Her head, brushing Her lips against his ever so slightly against his. She could take him there and then. He didn't need to be conscious…or willing…but She could hardly rape him. She could never rape anyone. He would break eventually; the alternative was by no means necessary.

"Keep me informed of any changes," She commanded to the other being, who nodded, bowing.

She left.

* * *

**Rose Sigma-Tyler and company, Earth, March 2007 AD.**

"We need backup," Jack had said to the group, starting to form some sort of methodical approach in his mind. "I can get my team onto it, they'll help us out."

"I can inform UNIT," the Doctor said, "once they know who it is they'll provide us with all the support we need."

"_Curtain call," the Doctor announced to the others, waving goodbye to Sarah-Jane as Jackie grabbed his shirt and dragged him back towards the front of the church. Rose turned to Sarah-Jane one last time._

"_I'll see you again soon, yeah?"_

_She nodded. "Remember, if you ever need me, I'm always here."_

_Rose smiled. "I'll remember that."_

"I'll get Sarah-Jane," Rose said next, "she can bring K9, she'll help us."

_"I won't let you go Rose," she said firmly with a determined nod. Rose suddenly began to feel incredibly impatient._

_"But mum!" she started, and suddenly felt Howard's heavy hand clamp down reassuringly on her shoulder._

_"I'll go wit' 'er Jackie," he said in that wistful Irish accent. "It's obvious t'me she loves this alien, so I'll 'elp 'er get him back. I'll look after 'er."_

"Howard'll help," Jackie suddenly said from the side, "I'll get 'old of 'im."

Rose turned to Mickey. "You'll help, right?"

"_Rose," Mickey suddenly piped up from the side, almost forgotten in the talking. "I think I am a bit of an idiot really, 'cause I still love ya."_

"_You'd do anythin' for me, wouldn't ya?" Rose asked with a grin, accepting the brief, yet warm hug from Mickey that followed. "I'll hold you to that, y'know."_

Mickey nodded, and Rose shot him a smile.

"I'm in," the teenage Rory announced. The younger Rory nodded too Bob at his feet.

"I wanna come," he stated, but Jackie was shaking her head.

"Sweetheart this ain't your battle," she said, but the child remained adamant.

"I wanna come!!!" he demanded, bouncing onto his feet and turning to his mother with the same sad puppy dog eyes she herself had used so many time before. "Please?"

"Don't think that's gonna work on me. You've gotta stay here this time Rory."

"_Why?!"_he wanted to know. "Why can't I come save daddy?"

"'Cause you've gotta look after your old gran and little sister right here," Jackie said, smiling gently at the boy.

"B-b-but…" he stammered, looking at Jack for one last lifeline, but to Rory's complete and utter dismay he was also shaking his head. "Please Uncle Jack…I won't slows you down or anything I'll be good _all_the times and…"

"They're right Rory, you have to be the protector of your gran and sister. Everything's at stake. Your dad believed in being blunt with you so that's what I'm gonna do for him. There's a chance we'll never come back. She might rip us apart before we have a chance to even do anythin', or She might simply gain the advantage by killin' you, gran and Lottie and weaken our mental defences. We're not holdin' you back to stop you savin' your dad. The risk factor isn't any less for you by stayin' here; it just might take Her mind off of you long enough for it all to be resolved." He turned away from the rather terrified looking Rory and to the company gathered around.

"Let's get started," he said simply, taking out his mobile to dial for Torchwood: Cardiff.

* * *

**The Tenth Doctor, Macheath's Castle, Date Unknown.**

The Doctor woke up.

Every limb ached in his body, his head pulsated with an agonising migraine and there were sharp pains over his entire frame, weakening him considerably. He wondered for a moment whether he _wanted_to open his eyes, fearing where he would be and what he would see.

He was mildly surprised as he opened to the room he had first woken up in, comfortable and warm in those grey silk pyjamas. Okay, so this wasn't Bucknall House but at least he was momentarily away from Her.

This relief was short lived.

"Welcome back. I was beginning to get worried."

He felt a flash of discomfort as he turned his aching head around, wincing as he did so. She was sat by the bed, just staring into his eyes. He looked away again.

"You can't look at me. It's understandable," She said with a sigh, reaching out to him and touching his cheek. He flinched. "Speak to me," She continued after a momentary pause. "Please, say something."

He remained silent, not wanting to speak to Her for any reason. If She was going to condemn him to an eternity of torture then he was going to drag it on. She sighed again, reaching out towards his cut face with a glowing purple hand. The stinging slowly ceased, feeling the cuts start to mend, the dark bruises start to lighten. The same was happening all over his body, leaving his skin and internal systems completely unscathed and healed.

Her hand withdrew, and the glowing stopped.

The Doctor didn't bother looking at Khthonia. This seemed to hurt Her, only taking a few more moments for Her to get to Her feet, and disappear out of the room.

"Good riddance," the Doctor muttered quietly under his breath, pushing himself up to look at the slave sitting in the chair across the room. It was shrouded in a deep blue tinged aura, looking rather like a pixie of sorts. The Doctor flashed a smile. "Okay?" he asked.

"Are you the Saviour?" it asked instantly without hesitation.

"I'm sorry?" the Doctor asked, taken by surprise.

"Are you him? The Saviour? Our salvation?" it asked again, sounding eager. "The Promised One?"

The Doctor didn't want to disappoint it, but he didn't exactly know what it was going on about. Before he even had a chance to reply there was a shimmer of golden light to his left, and suddenly Eva was standing next to the bed.

"Kreak," she said quickly, shaking her head. "Don't be too eager. Everything will come at its time."

"But Eva…" the other being protested, getting onto its feet. "Please, you said…"

"Not now," she said simply, turning from the creature to face her father, who was grinning despite everything he'd been through, pushing himself onto two feet. She grinned back, equalling his proportions. "Are you okay?" she asked.

He nodded, seeing how this simple question was beginning to become automatic between them. "You?"

"Yup," she replied cheerfully, reflecting his own no-longer-unique attributes. "You wanted me to do something for you?

He frowned at her words, dropping to her height. "No, I…" he suddenly stopped, thinking it through for a moment before he realised that small idea he'd kept at the back of his mind. "…Oh, well, there is something."

"Hmm?"

"…Can you…go back to your mummy and…" – he paused, struggling for the words – "…just…check how they are?"

She nodded, accepting a fleeting hug from him and a dab of a fatherly kiss before stepping back, and disappearing in a cloud of gold.


	33. Rose's Doctor Rant

**A/N:**I'm currently writing a giant essay on Great Expectations and I'm really rather bored. I'm going to kill myself later but I decided to slightly 'divert' my efforts and finish off this chapter instead.

And yes, before you ask, this is gonna be the longest ramble yet.

* * *

Chapter 33 – Rose's Doctor Rant

They were going to get him. Finally, he was coming home.

Jack's Torchwood team were on the way, the Ninth Doctor had been in touch with UNIT. Sarah-Jane had already arrived, helping the Doctor out on contacting UNIT. Howard looked after the children whilst Jackie catered for the building number of residents in her flat, Mickey constantly going back and forth between the flat and Londis for supplies. Currently there were no less than twelve people and a Delorion needing nourishment and bedding, and the whole place felt more like a hotel than a flat.

Every hour that passed felt like agony to Rose, knowing her Doctor was in serious peril and all she was doing was sitting here watching the Ninth Doctor lose games of chess to K9 over and over again. They could do nothing until everyone got here, and supposedly they'd start piling in that evening.

It was getting pretty late and little Rory kept flickering in and out of sleep, so Rose supposed it was probably time to go to bed. She bided goodnight to everyone before gathering Rory up in her arms and tucking him into bed, kissing Lottie and even Zoë goodnight before retiring to her own bed. She closed her eyes, knowing that when she opened them they'd be ready to go on a journey to save the man she loved.

And then a girl appeared in the centre of the room.

Rose found herself a little more than shocked – after all, it wasn't everyday something like this happened – so she sat up straight in her bed and stared at the girl, wondering who she could be. Long blonde hair fell in waves around her shoulders; a long white dress covered her frame with sparkling golden eyes set in a beautiful face that Rose saw bore resemblance to two people...

"Eva?" she asked in a disbelieving whisper.

"Mummy," she said in a quiet voice, moving forwards slightly.

"Am I dreaming?"

She giggled. "No. I was sent by daddy to make sure you're okay."

"Your daddy?!" Rose repeated immediately. "How is he?"

"She healed him outside but he's scarred beneath," she said, "he misses you. He's lost a piece of his hearts."

"Healed?" Rose repeated once more. "Healed from what? Did she hurt him?"

Eva – if but a little hesitantly – nodded.

Rose's fists tightened. "Let me see him."

Eva shifted slightly, nervous at the prospect. "It's dangerous."

"I don't care, I want to see him."

Eva paused for a moment as she considered, before finally nodding.

"Okay. Go to sleep mummy, and I'll take you to him."

* * *

She'd be back, demanding that purpose of him once more. She really must be crazy if She thought he would willingly do this with no problems. She was beautiful, there was no denying that…but this was just wrong. Completely unethical and unfair. He didn't want to make love to Her to produce a child and under no circumstances was he going to.

He had to get out.

He was just checking the integrity of the window frame when he heard that faint familiar shimmer of Eva appearing into existence. Eager to know what news she had to bring he swung around to face her, more than a little surprised to see who she had brought with her.

"Rose," he whispered disbelievingly, "what…?"

She was glowing as he must've been to her before grinning as she stepped forward towards him.

"Wow this is weird!" she exclaimed, stopping still and staring at her foot for a moment, as if trying to decide what part of her anatomy it infact was. "I'm dreamin'!"

"You are," he replied, reaching out a hand to cup her cheek but knowing full well that touch wasn't possible. "You shouldn't be here."

"I wanted to see you," she said simply, pausing for a moment before looking up, staring straight into his eyes. "I didn't know whether you were still alive or not."

"I get the feeling I'm not going to be doing any dying for a while…" the Doctor assured her, but didn't feel the need to expand on it.

"I love you. I miss you." She needed to touch him, to kiss him yet knew she couldn't…and it was slowly driving her insane.

"I know, I love you too, and I miss you every second…" the Doctor said with a sigh of remorse. "Are the others okay?"

She nodded. "You'll never guess who turned up earlier at the door." If she could've nudged him, she would've. "Go on, guess."

"Not the foggiest, who?"

She flashed a broad smile. "Your old self."

The Doctor suddenly went rigid on the spot, staring at her in shock. "…My old self?"

"Yeah, you know…" she gestured to her ears, then to her nose.

"Ears and nose? You're kidding me."

She shook her head, suddenly excited as she set off at 1000 miles per hour. "God Doctor, it was so weird! First of all Rory strolls in – his future self I mean, not little Rory I mean the one in the bus crash…did you know he was the one who saved you life though you don't really remember – and by the way he's hurt himself with that, my past self was telling me he just wondered in and stuff and the TARDIS had gone wrong _again _– that thing has a curse – and basically he wondered in just in time because of the…_oh my God!_ The baby! Zoë? Ring a bell?"

The Doctor just stared at her.

"Yeah well," she carried on, not really looking at him. "She turned up and like no one knew what was going on but then we found out where you were 'cause of this weird thing your past self did like from the Mummy when Alex is guided by the bracelet and we saw everything and stuff and Scotland! You're in Scotland if you didn't know, and basically Jack call his team, your past self called UNIT and I called Sarah-Jane and so now everyone's chipped in and…" She managed to stop for a moment, giving him a flash of a smile. "We're comin' to save you."

The Doctor could hardly believe his ears.

"_Everyone?" _he asked disbelievingly, a rather unimpressive conclusion to Rose's rant. Usually it was the other way around. "But-"

"I don't care what you say," she cut straight across him. "I want you back. She's hurtin' you, isn't She? We're comin' to get you."

The Doctor considered getting angry, but brushed it off and gave a smile. "No stopping you, is there?"

She returned his smile, folding her arms and sticking her tongue out at him. "Just watch me."

Then she disappeared.

* * *

Rose woke up, staring into the blankness of the ceiling above her. She sat up in bed, taking a few moments to realise what had just happened. She felt herself move almost robotically out of the bed and towards the adjoining door, passing through into the living room that many people still occupied. They all looked up on her entry, mildly surprised. She _was_ wearing baggy teddy pyjamas.

"Mum…Jack…" she said in a whisper, hardly able to believe it herself. "He's alive. I saw him, and he's alive. He spoke to me, he knows we're coming…he's still alive…"

Then she was crying; crying tears of joy. Jack gathered her into a hug and guided her back to bed, convinced she had been dreaming. She was too happy to argue.

Rose looked around her room for the girl who had made it possible – but she was long gone.

* * *

Most people in the Tyler household were asleep when Torchwood arrived, shortly followed by UNIT. Jack introduced each member of his Torchwood team personally to Rose before breakfast: Owen, the boyish Londoner with a stout attitude; Tosh, the relatively shy Japanese computer whiz kid and Gwen, a girl who had an uncanny resemblance to the Gwen who had sacrificed herself to close the rift with Dickens. Jack explained there was one more, Ianto, who was currently at the base in Cardiff looking after the Weevils and management affairs.

Much to Rose's surprise the leader of the UNIT squadron was a woman: a tall, slim, brown haired and rather attractive girl in full soldier's uniform. Her face was hardened and straightened by army life, with eyes that constantly looked like they were scanning your brain for information every time she looked at you. She was supported by five heavily armed UNIT soldiers, well built and scarred by the experience of war life. Rose could tell when she was in their presence that she was pretty much safe as long as they were on her side.

The UNIT woman introduced herself as Jill Lethbridge-Stewart; daughter of Brigadier Alistair Lethbridge-Stewart who she added had once been a close associate of the Doctor himself, which the Ninth Doctor confirmed for the gathering. She and Jack had taken an immediate dislike to each other, which Rose thought, had to be a record breaker for Jack where a girl was concerned.

The Doctor briefed everyone on the situation before companies parted – leaving Jackie, the past Rose, little Rory, Lottie and Zoë at the flat whilst everyone else filed into the Tenth Doctor's TARDIS. It seemed empty without him, Rose thought. Silently she asked to TARDIS to somehow connect hers and the Doctor's minds together, and in the back of her conscience Rose suddenly heard the sweetest melody she'd ever known, and she instantly knew that her Doctor would be hearing the same beautiful song.

"Well, allons-y then," Jack said, shooting Rose a grin to which she returned. Rory nodded, yanking down a lever to send everyone crashing to the floor as the team headed to save the Time Lord.


	34. Break Out

**A/N: **HOW BRILLIANT WAS VOYAGE OF THE DAMNED?! Best thing I've seen for a while! I can't wait for series four, it looks amazing! Squee! Squeee! Squeeeeeeee!

And YAY FOR DT ON TOP GEAR! ("What're all these FLASHIN' LIGHTS?!") And YAY FOR DT ON EXTRAS! (Even if was for only thirty seconds, I was in HEAVEN) And YAY FOR DT ON THE WOODEN OVERCOAT! (Are we seeing a pattern yet?) And YAY FOR DT INTERVIEWING KYLIE ("My name's DAVID, by the way!") And YAY FOR KYLIE INTERVIEWING DT! (Honest to God I think one day they'll get it together) And YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY! DAVIIIIIIIIIIIID!

Ooo here come my book reviews: I got them today and haven't read The Pirate Loop yet, but Peacemaker, despite having the classic three page long explanation was nerve-wracking and Wishing Well was even better, and a lot of humour content to it :D Go munchkins! Buy, buy, BUY!

* * *

Chapter 34 – Break Out

"C'mon daddy, you've got to hold on," he could hear his daughter's voice from next to him with her soothing touch on his shoulder, but it wasn't enough by far to ease the pain. "For me, show Her you're better."

"Can't," the Doctor croaked, lying haphazardly on the cold dungeon floor. He was laid on a broken arm with bruised ribs, his neck was aching from the position it remained in and he was sure he could only feel one of his legs, which seemed to be bending the wrong way at the knee…but he didn't care; he was past caring. Every day She'd try to break him and every day She'd get angry, hurting him before healing him and leaving him for tomorrow. "I can't…d-do this."

"She's on her way daddy, I swear she is, you've just got to hold on for a little longer."

"It's been…t-two weeks Eva…" He moaned softly at a swerve of pain in his skull. "She w-would've already…c-come."

"I'll go and find her then," she said as she rose onto her feet, disappearing in a gleam of golden light, and the Doctor swiftly passed out.

* * *

"Two weeks," Rose repeated, staring at the boy she herself had created as he shuffled nervously from foot to foot, finger scratching behind his ear. "You're kiddin' me!" 

"I'm sorry mum…" he muttered guiltily.

"You mean he's been here with Her for two-and-a-half weeks?!"

"Well, more like two weeks and two days…" Rory interjected pointlessly, guilty of having wrongly landed the TARDIS as his father so frequently did. She put her head in her hands, anticipating the worse. She could still hear the melody inside her head, so he must be alive…

"Eva?" She suddenly looked up to the ceiling of the TARDIS, as if imploring a God. "Eva? Are you there? Eva?" She noticed the others in the TARDIS were looking at her strangely, but she ignored them. "Eva, please, tell me he's alright?"

After a moment of silence, Mickey stepped forward towards the girl and rested a hand on her shoulder. "Rose, Eva's dead, remember?"

Rose turned and gave him a scowl that almost singed his eyebrows. "I _know_she's dead Mickey but I swear, she came to me and she took me to him and I was _not_dreamin'!"

Jack stepped forward, prising Mickey from Rose. "Mickey if she said Eva came to her then she did. We're not gonna argue at the beginning of the rescue mission so whatever opinions you might have just shut up and be a good boy, okay?"

Mickey drew back from Jack as if he'd been scalded. "And just who d'you think you are givin' me orders?! What makes you so special?!"

"If you don't wanna listen to me, fine. But let's just save the world and the Doctor first, okay?"

But Mickey was on a roll. "I was with Rose for years! She was mine and we were good, but then _he_came along and everythin' went to shit!" He gestured angrily to the Ninth Doctor, who was standing staring at the spectacle before him in silence. "Off she goes with _him,_leavin' me alone in a back alley of London makin' me feel like _nothin'!_That's all I am, ain't it? Nothin'!" Years and years of bottled contempt for the Time Lord and human girl was exploding out with an almighty blast. "But then Jumping Jack Flash comes along, does a dance and then he's suddenly into a threesome with you! Why does he get to be with you when I only see you at every possibility I might die?!"

"Mickey…" Rose began, but didn't get very far.

"I might aswell not be here to save him Rose, I owe nothin' to the Doctor because he just barged in and took what he wanted! You never even ended our relationship, just suddenly announced you were pregnant and you're off in the sunset with him again! I've tried so hard to ignore it for so long Rose but this is where we end. This is me breakin' up with you, good bye forever."

He turned, and disappeared out the TARDIS doors.

There was a brief moment of silence before Jack was the first to speak:

"He does know that's Scotland out there, doesn't he?"

"Congratulations Mr. Harkness, you have managed to grow a brain," Jill said in a deadpan voice, staring vacantly at the TARDIS doors to which Mickey had just passed through. "A revolution in science don't you think? You could use it for the empire."

Although Jack knew she was _purposely_trying to wind him up he could help but snap back a retort, "hey, you're right. I could use clones of my brain to fill your empty UNIT heads." Jill opened her mouth to reply but found herself cut off by Rose.

"Guys, I hate to admit it but Jack's right. We can't lose ourselves over Mickey, not now. We'll worry about him later. Let's just find the Doctor first, okay?"

Fourteen people, a robot dog and a Delorion all signalled an affirmative back at her.

"Good, then let's go," she said with a smile, turning towards the TARDIS doors and passing through one, before Eva suddenly appeared right infront of her. She staggered back in shock, backing straight into Jack who caught her in surprise.

"Rose wha…" he began, but then saw the girl. His jaw promptly hit the floor. "Oh."

"Eva!" Rose said in delight after the shock had cleared, bounding forward as the others filed out behind her. "You're here!"

She nodded, grabbing her mother's arm and pulling her into the clearing. "You need to see daddy," she said straight, "he's giving up on you."

"How is he?"

"Alive."

Rose frowned. "And…?"

"Alive. Please mummy, you need to speak to him."

"How do I do that?"

Eva rested her hands on her mother's head, fingers on temples like the Doctor did when he was looking inside someone's mind. "Just let go." So she did, already knowing how it worked.

* * *

Rose was back in the Dreamworld once more, opening her eyes to a sight she had hoped not to see again, at least for a while. There was the Doctor infront of her, but he…he… 

"Doctor?" Rose asked tentively, moving forward and dropping to her knees beside his unconscious form. She tried to check for life signs, forgetting she was just a dream. She screamed in frustration, hitting her hands repeatedly on the floor where the image of her Doctor lay, bloodied, bruised and broken.

She felt a presence step up behind her, but already knew it was Eva.

"Is he dead?" she asked in a broken voice, fearing the worst for her husband.

"No."

Rose breathed a sigh of relief, turning her attentions to him. "Doctor, I'm here. Please wake up."

"She's coming," Eva suddenly said, taking hold of her mother's arm and pulling her away from the Doctor's prone body to the corner. "She doesn't know we're here."

Rose nodded, keeping quiet as she heard the dungeon door click open and She stepped through. Instantly Rose felt a mounting temptation to jump forward and strangle Her for everything She'd done to her husband, but she bottled it up and forced herself to watch.

"One day Doctor, one day you'll love me," She whispered, dropping to Her knees and extending both hands over his body, the familiar purple aura healing everything She'd past inflicted. She finished, pausing for a moment to watch his face. He didn't rouse, so She turned and left the room.

Rose waited for a few seconds before she ran forward, fingers passing through his skin now fully healed.

"Wake up Doctor, now's your chance!" she urged, noticing She'd left the door open accidentally. "Doctor, speak to me…"

His eyelids fluttered open, and Rose breathed a sigh of relief.

"It's okay Doctor, I'm here…"

Silently he lifted his right hand to touch her, but it passed straight through her apparition. The disappointment on his face was heart breaking.

"No, you're not," he said straight, closing his eyes once again.

"No Doctor, stay with me, we're on our way I swear we are, Rory just landed a little off but we're coming to you now. And look…" He opened his eyes and saw the open dungeon door she was pointing at. "You can escape. Please Doctor, you got to try this."

With a grunt he pushed himself onto two hands, eventually dragging to his feet. She smiled gently at him, reaching her arms around his apparent form pretending she was taking him into a hug.

"We're close, just head south. We've got a tracker so we'll find you and take you back to the TARDIS."

"How did you get…" the Doctor began but Eva cut him off, taking her mother's arm.

"We have to go, She's going to detect us!"

Rose nodded, wanting to face the Woman herself right now but knowing Eva would be in danger if she did.

"See you in a few minutes," Rose said with a smile, and the Doctor watched as she disappeared in a shimmer of bright light. Turning back towards the door he stepped out into the corridor, glancing both ways to check for any purple dresses barring the way. Clear. He was vaguely reminded of back in the TARDIS when he'd played Armies with Rory – felt so long ago now.

He began to move down the corridor, not entirely sure where he was going but having a pretty good nose for direction. He found himself out of the dungeon and onto the lower levels with ease, navigating his way carefully through the numerous amounts of corridors. He encountered no one, and thought himself quite lucky in that respect. She probably would have found him gone by now; he was working on a time bomb.

So he was surprised when he found himself on the outside of the castle completely unscathed and unseen. She must've forgotten about the open door. Shrugging, he let a smile spread onto his face before he ran down the gardens, swimming through the moat before clambering out the other side and disappearing into the forest to find the rescue party.


	35. A Long Dramatic Chapter

**A/N: **Did you guess? It's a long dramatic chapter! Doctor bashing! Yay! It's the last 'ooo-they-almost-did-it-but-not-quite' section and then we'll get on to beating her finishing the ramble once and for all. Dunno when it's gonna end...expect around forty chapters. (And there was me at the start of this fic wondering if it's gonna be long enough)

* * *

Chapter 35 – A Long Dramatic Chapter

Three days after the rescue party had left everytime Jackie checked on Lottie and Zoë, they were sleeping. She herself having had a daughter that constantly wailed and cried and demanded attention at every inconvenient moment this was strange behaviour, though she determined that perhaps they were just quiet by nature. Still, it didn't stop Jackie from checking they were still breathing every so often.

But then a week after the rescue party had left Rory started to sleep a lot more than usual too. Jackie hoped they weren't coming down with something – this was hardly the time. It wasn't until two weeks had gone by did Lottie and Zoë sleep for two days straight; and then Jackie and Rose _really_began to get worried for them _and_ for the rescue party.

They tried to phone the TARDIS, but they'd left. They tried ringing mobiles but they'd since lost signal. It seemed all they could do was sit, wait, and pray.

* * *

Khthonia was fuming inside.

How _dare_he do this to Her? She was Khrusosandalaimopotikhthonia, Queen of the Underworld, and She wasn't going to let him just slip away like this. Did he _really_think She wouldn't find out? That She wouldn't track him and bring him back? She was the most powerful being in the Universe and _nothing_would stop Her from having the ultimate child.

Angrily She left the empty cell, ready to bring the Time Lord back in pieces if She had to.

* * *

The Doctor had been on the move for five minutes now, but no sign of Rose as of yet. He'd tried calling out but he'd got no reply. He wondered for a moment whether it had all been a lie, an image conjured up by Khthonia to keep his hopes alive when no one was coming. Yes, that made sense. Why would She just leave the door open otherwise? This was a trick. She was going to let him roam for a while until She got bored and zapped him back, punishing him for escaping….

But all these thoughts were dismissed as he heard a distant cry of, "Doctor!" and his hearts leapt to his throat, almost making him choke on his reply, "Rose?!"

"Doctor! Stay still, we're coming to get you!"

He sighed a happy sigh of relief, hoping that they'd be able to get the TARDIS and get out of here to plan a way to bring Her down before She found them. He looked around at his surroundings of the damp, depressing forest before spotting a rock large enough to sit on and rest. He waited all of thirty seconds before the sound of crunching sticks and leaves below clumsy feet rang out, accompanied with frantic banter. He rose to his feet, looking through the clumps of trees to see a huge group of people bickering over a small object in Captain Jack Harkness' hands.

"You're not holding it right!" hissed a new female voice unbeknown to him.

"Then why don't_you_take it miss know-it-all?!" came Jack's recognisable voice.

Rose's voice sounded next, "Jack! Jill! Shut up! You're like a bickerin' couple!"

"Couple?!" the one named 'Jill' asked disbelievingly. "Oh please! He isn't even a man!"

"Scan confirms gender male," K9 suddenly piped up from nowhere in his neat, well pronounced tone.

"Ha!" Jack boomed proudly, but was robbed of the chance to say anything else as Rose practically shrieked, _"Doctor!"_and bounded over to him, throwing her arms around his soaked frame in a tight hug, reaching up to press a kiss to his lips.

"Rosiiiie!" he yelled back in reply, spinning her around in the air. "Long time no see!"

"You're a drowned rat!" she said in delight, squeezing her hug tighter. She suddenly stopped, pulled back and regarded him up and down. His torn shirt and trousers were drenched and had splatters of blood on them, and he also had no shoes or socks on. His hair was wet and messy, dropping cold beads of water down his neck and forehead every now and then. "Don't tell me you _swam_through that moat?"

"Yup!" he answered chirpily as Rose quickly whipped off her furry coat and began to towel dry him. "Wasn't half cold."

"Hey Doc! Looking good as ever," Jack said from the side, coming forward to meet him in a manly hug. "We missed you."

"I missed myself," he admitted, grinning as Bob bounced up to him with as much enthusiasm as Rose had and he dropped to stroke the Delorion's belly. "We should leave." He stood up, looking skyward through the towering branches to the castle he'd once occupied, high, foreboding and dark over the land. "But we come back and finish this."

Jack and Rose both nodded, helping him walk across the woodlands despite his protests he was fine. They soon met with the rest of the group, Sarah-Jane giving him a hug as K9 insisted on doing a scan.

"Low level of nutritional intake, major dehydration and sleep deprivation master," he reeled off, wagging his tail and ears in synchronisation. "Suggest food, water and sleep to be prioritised."

"I told you, I'm fine," the Doctor insisted, pulling away from Jack and Rose as the group turned and headed back the direction they had come, the UNIT members spread out around to survey the area. Tosh, Gwen and Owen were busy messing with the laptop that showed the path back to the TARDIS whilst the Ninth Doctor subtly regarded his future self with remote interest as the future Rory walking alongside him with the ring in hand. Howard had already moved back to the older Time Lord, slapping a heavy hand by way of support on his shoulder but only made him cripple under the force.

"Anyone wit' half an brain can tell yer not fine m'laddy," Howard was saying in his Irish accent, thankfully lifting his hand off of the Doctor's shoulder. "No doubt Jackie'll want ter check yer over fer herself."

"And slap me…" the Doctor added.

"Hello," a familiar voice suddenly said, much to the Doctor's surprise. He looked up to meet his own predecessor staring right back at him, big ears and blue eyes never having changed.

"Hi," he replied brightly as Jack, Rose and Howard simultaneously accelerated to let the two Doctors talk.

"So, you're my next body." The Tenth Doctor couldn't help but notice the slight twinge of disdain in his predecessor's voice. He nodded, shooting him a side-glance as they walked.

"Yeah…you don't like it?"

The Ninth Doctor stared at him, but didn't reply. He felt like his entire body was being accessed. "So, you're with Rose."

He nodded, wondering where this was going. "More by accident, really."

"You mean me," Rory suddenly piped up from in front of them, falling back to join his dads. The Doctor stared at him, shocked by the sight. The last time he'd seen his son as this age he'd died to save his father's life. Finally, the Tenth Doctor nodded.

"Yeah. But it wasn't a bad accident though. Just a nice surprise."

Rory ran a hand through his hair as they walked, making the blondy-brown tufts all stand on end. "Kinda figures. She was pregnant with me during the bus crash, wasn't she? It was what she wanted to tell you."

The Doctor frowned. "Sorry, I don't really remember it that well now. All a bit blurry. I remember a little before when I was trying to get some chips, then nothing until I woke up in the TARDIS and everyone was going frantic because Rose was about to give birth. She must've named you after _you." _He grinned stupidly. "Wow, I love these little soft time loops, they so fun and perfect."

The Ninth Doctor seemed more concerned with his relationship with Rose. "So you got married?" Ten nodded. "Got your ring?" Ten nodded again, raising his left hand so they could see the wedding ring now started to weld to his finger. Nine frowned, pointing at the ring Rory still held in his grip. "Then what's that?"

Ten lowered his eyebrows, taking the ring and holding it up to compare it with his own. "Yep, it's mine. Time loops again!"

Rory scratched behind his ear, contemplating. "D'you have a baby named Zoë?"

The Tenth Doctor gave him a thoughtful look. "Umm…no. Should I?"

"Probably," his predecessor said shortly, still accessing him over. The Doctor never realised before how scary his previous body could look when he was serious. Silence ensued for a few moments, before Rory suddenly spoke up:

"Who's Eva?"

"She's…" he paused, feeling a little sad inside as the memories of her death rose to the surface of his mind. "…She's your sister."

"I don't have a sister called Eva."

"You don't anymore," the Doctor replied simply. Rory didn't need the rest, he wasn't stupid.

"Sorry," he muttered. The Doctor flashed him a reassuring smile.

"No worries."

The Tenth Doctor looked back up to the castle, feeling strangely cold inside. Then he saw it. A shimmer of purple cloud on the air, travelling towards them with deadly speed and accuracy. She was coming after him.

"RUN!" he suddenly yelled, pushing Rory infront of him as he grabbed his predecessor's arm and dragged him forward. "She's here!"

The Tenth Doctor wasn't in any shape to be doing this right now. He was soon gasping for water and in pain, but he _had _to keep going.

But then it caught him.

Suddenly all he could see was a mass of purple, clouding his vision and making him completely paralysed. Before he could fight back, he heard two loud 'cracks' from somewhere below him. It only took a few seconds for the pain to kick in, and then he realised what had happened. The smoke withdrew, the hold it had on him dissipating as quickly as it had come before he was allowed to yell and collapse weakly against a conveniently placed tree, his two broken legs burning with undeniable agony. Jack fell back to him as the purple cloud spiralled into the air and disappeared, gathering the Doctor up in both arms despite the Time Lord's feeble protests. They were _so _close to the TARDIS, she could at least partially protect the Doctor until they figured out a plan.

"You dare defy me?!" She was screaming in his ears, sounding but inches away. "How did you think you could possibly outrun _me?!"_

"Run!" the Doctor yelled from the floor to Jack, shaking his head at Rose as she came forward to help. "Don't let her see you!" He was covering his head with both arms as he tried in vain to contain the agony coursing like fire through his blood, crying out at every twinge his legs made. Jack and Rose looked at each other for a moment, before they nodded together and reached down to the Doctor.

"No!" he hissed between gritted teeth, unable to hide his cries of pain as together they hauled him up, each slinging an arm around their shoulders and moving him forward. "Leave me!"

"You can forget that Doctor, you're comin' whether you like it or not," Jack said immediately, glancing at Rose who nodded, smiling.

"All for one and one for all, right?"

"Right," Jack affirmed. "Through thick and thin. I'd kick myself forever if we came all this way just to leave you behind."

"She'll kill you both…"

"No kiddin', Sherlock!" Rose said sarcastically, pulling him up a little more to try and stop his legs from hitting the ground.

"Halt!" came a scream from directly infront of them, and all three looked up to meet Khthonia's furious gaze. "You will be punished!!!" she screeched, hand flying out towards the three and they disappeared in a shimmer of purple.

She span around to face the crowd, beside herself with rage.

"You will _not_follow!" she declared, shimmering out of existence. They only had to wait five seconds before Rory suddenly cried out in agony, falling to the floor holding his abdomen. The Ninth Doctor instantly bounced forward, falling beside the boy to check for vital signs.

"He's brain-dead," he muttered, voice almost breaking. "She went back and tried to kill little Rory, but he's holding on – probably tried to kill the others too." He paused, forcing himself not to panic over his almost dead son. There was still time to save him, get the younger Rory to the Zero Room to regenerate…maybe Lottie too… "…We have to go back."

"But…" Jill started, scared for the Doctor Rose and – God forbid – Jack. The Ninth Doctor looked up to meet her gaze, his eyes in a blaze of fury.

"Don't you see you stupid apes?! If they're all dead then who's gonna take Rory and Lottie to the Zero Room?! I can't lose my kids, not again! We're going back, and that's final!" he yelled, scaring everyone present. He gathered the unmoving Rory up in both arms, already halfway to the TARDIS before anyone else had moved a muscle.

* * *

Mickey watched the entire scene from the distance, biting his lip. Inside he knew this was all wrong, Rose and the Doctor were both his friends, _why_ was he just standing here doing nothing? But as the others left without him, guilt turned to hurt, which turned to anger.

"You see? They don't care about you," a familiar voice said in his ear, and he nodded in agreement. "Why bother with them? Be with me and rule the world…"

Slowly he turned, hypnotised as he follow Khthonia back to the castle.


	36. Renegermation

**A/N: **Exams, coursework, homework, school projects...I can give you a million and one reasons why it's taken me so long and I proooomise I'll get everything done when I can.

This is supposed to be emotional. But meh.

* * *

Chapter 36 – Renegermation

When the rescue party arrived back at the Tyler flat, they came upon an eerie sight.

Jackie, Rose and Rory lay on the floor unmoving, total silence in the flat. The Doctor ran to check on Rose, his eyes surveying every part of her anatomy for damage. She was just unconscious. Howard ran to check Jackie, who was likewise. Sarah-Jane and Gwen made to check on Rory, the singe mark apparent where the bolt She had sent had entered into his abdomen.

"Doctor! He's still breathing!" Sarah-Jane announced to the waiting crowd, who all sighed with relief at the fact that there was still a chance they wouldn't have to find out whether he could regenerate or not.

The Doctor nodded, sprinting to the other room where Lottie and Zoë dwelled. His hearts skipped a beat as he saw them both still, not making a sound. He checked they were still alive, only breathing once he found them both still going strong. Evidently they were just sleeping.

Moving back to the sitting room he pointed at Gwen and Jill, ordering them to fetch Lottie and Zoë, and Howard to take Jackie as he moved to Rose. They obliged, Sarah-Jane picking up Rory and following the Doctor out the door.

He led the group out of Bucknall House and across the street to his own TARDIS. He dropped Rose off in the Infirmary before taking little Rory from Sarah-Jane's arms, sprinting with the boy to the Zero Room. The TARDIS rearranged the corridors adequately, placing the door to the Zero Room right infront of him. He burst through it, instantly feeling a sense of peace and harmony cascade over his entire body.

His speed instantly decelerated, almost tip-toeing inside the room. The Zero Room was strangely peaceful, its walls grey with slices of an easy pink. He remembered the last time he'd had to use this room…after the War. The Zero Room had been the only place the memories hadn't clouded his mind, paining him like they did outside the room. He had met Rose only shortly after he had decided to venture out, and she had been a better remedy than any Zero Room could give.

He placed Rory on the floor, touching the side of his head. Sarah-Jane ran in just in time to see the action lift Rory off of the floor, balancing on seemingly nothing. The Doctor withdrew his hand and Rory remained floating, eyes closed.

"Is he going to die?" Sarah-Jane asked, watching as the Doctor turned to face her, for once looking exhausted.

"I don't know."

"But he'll regenerate, won't he?" she questioned, almost pleading.

The Doctor maintained his gaze. "I don't know."

* * *

Jack came around first. 

He was in one of the cells in what seemed to be an underground dungeon of some kind, damp, dark and just generally unpleasant. The blood smeared on the floor of the aisle down the middle pas the metal bars didn't help that impression, but at least – he realised as he looked around the cell – he was with the Doctor and Rose. Granted, both were unconscious but at least they were all together now. None of them were chained up either, which could only be a good sign, surely?

"Rosie?" he asked, moving towards her and shaking her shoulder slightly to try and bring her around. "Rose? Wake up."

"Jack?" she murmured, disoriented. "Where are we?"

"You really don't wanna know," Jack said truthfully, moving next to the Doctor and quickly checking his legs before also shaking him by the shoulder. Rose came next to Jack and rested the Doctor's head in her palm, kissing his cheek supportively. As he began to resurface to consciousness his mouth became the grit of teeth, fighting the burning pain in his legs.

"It's okay," she whispered, cupping his hand in her own palm whilst the other continued to support his head. "We're all here."

"Owie," he moaned childishly, peering down at his legs. "That's not a nice wake up call," he grunted, Rose smiling. "Jack can you do something about that please?"

"Just sortin' 'em Doc," Jack assured the Doctor with a smile, tentively reaching down towards his already half torn trouser legs and slipping them up to see the breaks clean in the bones. "Doesn't look too bad. If you kinda look past the blood and bones stickin' out, that is."

Rose had been trying not to look. "Oh _thanks,"_she said in a heavily sarcastic voice, "'cause I _really_wanted to know that!"

Jack tried his hardest not to jolt the broken bones but it proved impossible as the Doctor winced every few seconds, swearing at Jack in five billion different languages. As Jack surveyed them more and more he realised with a flicker of dread that he was going to have to put them back into place.

He finally looked up at Rose and the Doctor, eyes full of regret. They already knew what he was going to do without him even uttering a single word.

"Do it," the Doctor said without a hint of hesitation in his voice. "Trust me, I've had worse. Ever had a papercut? Ooo, nasty stuff." He gathered up a sleeve and bunched it in his mouth, preparing for the pain. Rose tightened her grip on his hand again, pressing a quick kiss to his forehead.

"Ready?" Jack asked, and the Doctor nodded. Without a moment more of hesitation Jack took the Time Lord's right ankle in both hands, adjusted the position and wrenched it roughly towards him with a resounding 'crack'. The Doctor cried out in utter agony, almost crushing Rose's hand in his own. He hardly had time to prepare before Jack wrenched out the other one, the bone snapping back into place. He just breathed for a few moments before flashing them both a grin.

"Exhilarating," he breathed, and both his companions couldn't help but laugh.

"Yeah, that's the word," Jack said as he tore up the bottom of his shirt for bandages, but couldn't find anything that remotely resembled a support – making him unable to create any splints for the Doctor's legs.

"That's the best I can do," he said as he tightened the torn cloth and tied it off, reaching up to the Time Lord's arms and lifting him up, gesturing with his head for Rose to carefully take his legs. She did so, and together they moved towards the wall. They leant him against it as Rose lowered his beaten legs to the ground, before reaching up and hugging him tightly. "Well, I guess this is it," Jack said cheerfully after a few moments, "the end of an era."

"We'll get through it, we always do," Rose said as she brushed back the Doctor's hair from his eyes. "Team TARDIS, that's us."

"A bit like the Powerpuff Girls, just not midgets," Jack put into perspective, holding out his hand in the centre of the three. Rose put her hand on top of his, as the Doctor put his on hers. "Whatever happens, we'll all come through this with our lives and dignity in tact, alright?"

Rose and the Doctor nodded as the three lifted their hands from the pact, before the Doctor spoke, "Jack, Rose…" He looked at them each in turn, taking in a breath as pain from his legs hit him. "It's been fun. I just want you to know that whatever happens now, I love you both."

"Same," Rose said, nodding as she drew them both into a hug. "These have been the best years of my life and I wouldn't have missed it for the Universe."

"Me neither," Jack said, taking his coat off and draping it over the Doctor, pushing the Time Lord's head to rest on Rose's shoulder. "I don't think she's comin' back tonight. We should get some rest." Rose nodded in agreement, fiddling with the Doctor's hair.

"Night," she muttered, bringing her arms up around the Doctor as her head dropped on his, still rested on her shoulder.

"Night," Jack said, resting his head on the Doctor's other shoulder.

"Nighty night," the Doctor murmured, closing his eyes.

* * *

The Ninth Doctor was sat next to Rose's bed in the infirmary, resting his hand on her forehead. Despite the fact he knew she was just sleeping he kept checking her for vital signs, just to be sure. He wondered what had happened to the other Rose, his Tenth self and Jack…what She was doing right now. Was She going to kill them? Surely not. She would have killed them all on the spot otherwise. 

"Ow my head…" Rose suddenly moaned from the bed infront of him, and within a second the Doctor was on his feet.

"Do you remember what happened?"

Rose suddenly shot straight up, eyes wide. "Rory?! He…we…"

The Doctor cut straight over the top of her, "breathe deep, don't think about that. Now tell me what happened."

She did so, fully trusting the Doctor that he had taken care of the boy. "I dunno what happened really, She just appeared out of nowhere, She looked angry. There was a bright flash and I heard him cry out, I tried to reach him but…" She shook her head, trying to stop the tears from falling down her cheeks. "I must've passed out."

He nodded to Sarah and she approached, a cup of tea in each hand. She handed one to Rose, crossing the room towards Jackie in the other bed who was starting to rouse.

"Rory?" was her first word, making to get up.

"It's okay Jackie," the Doctor instantly began, getting to his feet. "He's in the Zero Room, he'll be fine."

"The Zero Room?" Rose piped up, holding her head as she pushed herself to her feet. "What's the Zero Room?"

"It's exactly what it says," the Doctor informed them, arms folded. "A room of nothing. Null interference. Isolated from the rest of the Universe, cut off from everything. Unfortunately the power this room uses is hard to sustain so it can only be used in emergencies."

"But what does it do?"

"Mainly increases the Artron energy levels, which is the background radiation you suck up when you travel with me. It increases the amount of energy you have. Since both Gallifreyans and TARDISes use this energy it can help to heal Time Lord injuries and help the process of…" He paused for a moment, as if unwilling to speak the second option. "…Regeneration."

"Is my little Rory gonna do this renegermation?" Jackie instantly demanded, sitting straight up.

The Doctor sighed. "I don't know, Jackie."

"What d'you mean you don't know?!" she almost shrieked. "You're the Doctor! You're supposed to know!"

"I don't know!" the Doctor suddenly boomed out loud, face morphed into anger. "I've done everything I can to save my son, but believe it or not Jackie Tyler, I am not a God!"

The silence was only broken by a voice at the door, Jill popping her head around.

"Lottie and Zoë are awake," she informed them, "and Rory's…he's…"

She didn't need to finish her sentence as the Doctor was off in an instant, Sarah, Jackie and Rose close at his heels. They arrived at the Zero Room to find little Rory awake, but shaking erratically.

"I want my daddy…I want my mummy…" he was saying over and over, "granny…"

Jackie instantly bounded forward, standing over him and pressing a kiss to his forehead.

"I'm right here love," she said gently, brushing back his hair. He looked up at her with terrified brown eyes, filled with pain.

"Am I gonna die?" he asked smally, and Jackie instantly shook her head.

"Of course you're not sweetheart," she said, trying desperately to believe her own words. "As strong as your daddy, you are."

The Doctor was checking the boy over, but his results erratically differed from Jackie's reassurances. Rory barely had minutes left.

"Has your daddy ever told you about regeneration, Rory?" the Doctor asked, moving forward. Rory nodded. "Did he tell you how it works?" He nodded again.

"Said there was a light, a gold light," Rory muttered, closing his eyes. "Along a big path. Said I should go along it and just think of him, ignore everything else. He said to go through it, and everything would be all right. Said I'd change a little, but I'd still be me. He said it don't hurt and I shouldn't be scared." Rory took in a deep breath, unaware of the crowd now all in tears around him. "…Said he'd be here to help me."

Jackie held him close to her, silently weeping for her grandson. His breathing was laboured now, rasping through his throat as Death crept closer.

"Said we'd always be connected, 'cause we're Time Lords. Said he'd never leave mummy or me." He took another breath as the Doctor moved closer, taking the hand Jackie presently wasn't crushing. "Said we'd always be together, for as long as we wanted. Said we were invincible. Said he loved mummy and me with all his hearts."

"I do," the Doctor whispered, resting his hand on Rory's chest where the one heart beat weakly in his ribs. "And I always will."

Then the beating stopped.

And all they could do was wait.


	37. Lovely, Crunchy, Fresh Baked Cookies

Chapter 37 – Lovely, Crunchy, Fresh-Baked Cookies

"Time to get up!" a shrill voice screamed through the Doctor's brain as he opened his eyes, only being able to watch as Khthonia stepped in through the cell door and extended out Her hand, sending coils of purple rope-like energy around his ankles and snapping together. She waved Her hand once more and his broken legs were suddenly dragging him along the floor, the sudden pain a shock to his system as he let loose involuntarily cries of pure, undivided agony.

"Doctor!" he heard Jack's cry for him as the entire world was instantaneously turned upside-down and the pain began to mount. Ropes suddenly flew around his wrists, binding them tightly, after which the rope began to coil around his entire body, keeping him immobilised. All the while he was screaming with the agony in his legs, currently supporting his entire weight as he hung upside-down in the middle of the cell, unable to move.

"Let him go!" Rose demanded, although she was obviously out of her place to make orders.

She gave Rose a truly evil smile, which lingered for a few moments before it fell, and she grew wearily of the Doctor's cries. "Oh do shut up," She said calmly over the Doctor as She lifted Her hand once more, purple aura tingling on the Doctor's skin as he continued to cry out.

Rose almost cried with joy as Mickey Smith suddenly turned into the room, eyes transfixed to the far wall. He was holding a baseball bat; walking up behind Her as he lifted it high above his head, ready to strike it down…

His aim was perfect.

"What're you_doin'?!"_Rose shrieked after the bat hit the Doctor's head and he fell silent and limp. "Mickey, it's us! It's Rose!"

He didn't seemed to register her as Khthonia waved Her hand once more and the magical ropes slackened, letting the Doctor fall headfirst onto the ground. Still, Mickey made no move to help them.

"Mickey!" Rose tried again, but by now Jack was resting his hand on her shoulder.

"That's not Mickey. Not anymore," he said lowly as Khthonia gazed at the Doctor with pure lust.

"I've been waiting a long time for this," She said in delight, licking her lips as She waved Her hand one last time, Mickey moving forward and taking the bound Time Lord roughly down the long corridor to realms unknown.

Rose already knew what She was going to do, but she refused to cry.

* * *

She allowed him to come back to semi-consciousness just for a moment. Just long enough for him to realise he was in Her bedroom, bound down tightly with strong restraints. Just long enough to realise what She was going to do with him, and get cleanly away with.

When he fell unconscious once more, She made Her move.

* * *

The Doctor sat with his son the entire night, holding the boy's hand tightly. The time it took was unlimited – he could only hope his Tenth form had taught his son enough about the process for Rory to go through it on his own, without his true father by his side like he had promised to be. The Ninth Doctor wasn't that far out of parenthood himself, before things in the War had been taken out of control. It was for that reason he would protect his son and daughter now; save them and their mother like he hadn't been able to before.

He stayed by the boy's side for three hours solid, Jackie and Rose on the other side. Three hours of total silence, just waiting for the moment to arrive. Lucky for them, it came sooner rather than later.

"Doctor, what's that?"

The Doctor lifted his head from his hands slowly, as if expecting it to be another false alarm. At first he couldn't see it, but as his eyes finally began to adjust he saw what Rose had, and he went rigid.

That golden glow tingling on his skin. Yes. The Doctor squeezed reassuringly on the boy's hand. "I'm here Rory. Listen to my voice. Go towards the golden light. Nothing else matters right now, just concentrate on my voice and follow my instructions. Go towards the golden light. Don't' stop, don't think, just do it."

Milliseconds felt like hours as the golden light slowly began to intensify on his skin, until he was finally consumed by a complete hue of gold.

"C'mon," the Doctor muttered, "just a little more…Rory, I want you to think of your daddy, picture his face…"

Then it came. Suddenly the bright golden light shot out like a funnel around his head and hands, rejuvenating his physical form into a stronger, healthier boy. Finally a smile broadened on the Doctor's face, and soon Jackie and Rose were crying out with joy.

"He'll look different and act a little different, but he'll still be him," the Doctor assured mainly his Rose, as Jackie already knew this. "He'll be weak for a while, probably a little manic at times but that's natural."

He turned back to Rory as the sound began to fade, and then got the shock of his life.

Rory was coming around. He opened his eyes slowly, tentively, as if terrified what was out there. He blinked a few times to focus, seeing the three gathered around where he was laying on apparently thin air.

"Hey…" he suddenly said, reaching up to his chest and resting a hand on the right side. Suddenly his confusion turned into a bright grin resembling that of his father's. "I've got two boom-booms granny!"

Jackie was crying with joy as she launched forward to strangle him in a vice-like hug, seemingly having unnoticed the matter that was slightly wrong here. Rory squirmed beneath her grip, finally managing to wriggle out and lift his hands up to his face, tracing it over in inspection. After a moment of exploration, he frowned.

"Daddy lied," he said suddenly, looking a little annoyed. "He said I'd change!"

The Doctor just stared, watching the boy with the familiar blondy-brown tufts and deep brown eyes without comprehension. This wasn't right. Something had gone wrong.

Rory Sigma-Tyler had just regenerated into the same body.

* * *

They didn't know how much time had truly passed but whatever it was, it was far too long. Rose was holding onto Jack, thoughts and fears flashing through her mind for the Doctor's welfare.

"He'll be fine Rose, you know him." Jack reassured her, holding her close.

She nodded, but didn't reply.

Suddenly there was a loud clicking sound, and an explosion of light down the corridor that hurt Rose's eyes. The dungeon door had just been opened. She instantly pulled away from Jack and bounced over to the bars, pressing her face against them to see what was going on. She could see two silhouettes in the doorway, one dragging a body along behind them. Three guesses who they were.

She bit her tongue to stop herself from crying out to the Doctor, knowing it would do no good. She watched the limp body as it was dragged along the concrete flooring, catching the Doctor's face in the light. He was looking dry now, and dressed in his own clean clothes. Rose could see the other figure now, Mickey, face set in stone as it had been before.

She felt Jack move next to her, watching as the cell door just flew open infront of Mickey. He threw the Doctor's body inside, and before they could even move the door slammed shut and Mickey had disappeared back out the dungeon door. The light disappeared, and once again the only source of light came from the tiny barred drain above their heads.

"Doctor?" Rose moved forward towards him, turning his head gently to the side to reveal a large dark bruise across his left temple and a couple of scratches by his right eye. She gently ran a finger over the scratches, watching Jack as he quickly accessed the Doctor over.

"See? Told you he would be fine!" Jack beamed as he drew back, throwing his coat over the Doctor once more. "Doc, wake up…" he said gently in the Time Lord's ear, "I've got cookies…lovely, crunchy, fresh-baked cookies…"

"Wha…? Where?" the Doctor suddenly murmured, eyes shooting open with an expression of anticipation. He took a moment to register them both in his view, and then his face fell. "Oh, I'm still here. Jack, you're a liar. You don't have any cookies."

"Whoops," Jack said, not sounding in the least bit apologetic. Rose smiled, leaning down and pressing a kiss to the Doctor's lips. After a moment she tried to pull away, but his arms quickly flew up and wrapped around her, holding her to him.

"Rose, I'm so sorry," he murmured in-between kisses. "I love you."

Rose didn't really have to ask what had brought this on. "It's okay, I love you too. I know you put up a fight," she said with a smile, brushing back his hair. "When we get back home we're gonna have constant sex for a week, okay?"

"Do it right now if you like," Jack shrugged, gesturing his hand towards them both as they turned to stare at him. "I can watch. Or, if you need a third person…"

"Err, no thanks," the Doctor cut over him, looking a little terrified.

There was a momentary pause as Rose kissed the Doctor once more, realising it had been quite a long time since she'd done so. "…How long are we gonna stay here for?"

Neither Jack nor the Doctor had an answer to that one.

"They'll be back for us Rose," Jack said after another uncomfortable pause, resting a hand on her arm. "Till then we just gotta survive."

But Rose wasn't sure if they could even do _that_ for very long.

* * *

**A/N: **'Not so sire, 'tis a job for the mighty FORK!!!' (Ahem) Anyway...I know what you're thinking: "HOW LONG CAN SHE POSSIBLY KEEP ON RAMBLING FOR?!" ...I'll admit this one went a bit out of control but I just did that ego-inflating thing and read through my reviews for the previous chapter and thought to myself, "wow! These people are _actually _reading it! But I'm taking an _age _to update! WHERE IS THE JUSTICE?!" so I'm going to try and hurry myself along so it's at least finished before series four :D

That being said, don't ask me how long it's gonna take to finish...

I'm gonna reply to reviews this chapter, since this chapter was a bit dark and murderous and RARGH KILL THE DOCTOR kinda thing.


	38. Hungrrrry! Hungrrrrrrrrry!

**A/N: **(Talks about something to do with cheese) There we go, random a/n for this chapter doooooone!

Hopefully all your questions (Apart from the obvious ones) Will be answered this chapter. And thanks for all reviews! They were all interesting and good to reply to (except the anon ones of course coz I couldn't reply to them...but they were still completely uber) and weren't the basic "love it update soon", they had SUBSTANCE!!! Awesome!

* * *

Chapter 38 – Hungrrrry! Hungrrrrrrrrry!

"Granny I'm hungry!" Rory moaning loudly, jumping up and down as she carefully prepared some lunch for him. Energy deficit, the Doctor had said. He had also said Rory was in a very unbalanced state, he could collapse at any moment yet equally he could run circles around them all. The TARDIS was helping the reformation of his cells of course, and he had only temporarily been let out of the Zero Room to see how his body was coping with the change.

"I know sweetheart, that's why I'm makin' you somethin'," she replied patiently, spreading marmalade over the bread.

"Well hurry up!" he yelled, tugging on her jeans. Sarah-Jane, the Doctor and Rose were watching with untainted amusement from the table as Rory ran a circle around his gran and then proceeded to jump into an unclaimed chair at the table, staring around at the group. "Where's my mummy and daddy and uncle Jack?"

It vaguely surprised Rose that he knew she wasn't his true mother. Obviously they had established some kind of connection.

"Sweetheart, they're…" Rose began, wanting to reach out and hold the boy. She hadn't even had him yet she still felt like his real mother. "They're still with Her."

"But you'll save them, won't you daddy?" he stated more than asked the Doctor, his sad brown eyes gazing straight into his. "You'll save them?"

"You know who I am?" the Doctor asked, a little confused. Rory folded his arms and kicking the legs of his chair with his nose in the air, regarding the Doctor as if he were the five-year-old, not him.

"Course I do," he sniffed, sounding insulted, "you're my daddy before he changed." He reassumed his previous 'cute' look. "Which is why you're gonna save him, right? 'Cause I'm your little guy."

The Ninth Doctor regarded his son for a moment, almost hesitant to touch him before he managed to reach out and ruffle the boy's hair. "Of course."

Rory gritted his teeth in annoyance, patting down his hair indignantly before he paused for a moment, just staring into the Ninth's Doctor's eyes after which he suddenly yelled, "I'M HUNGRY!" at the top of his lungs, jumping off of the chair and running back around to Jackie, tugging on her trousers once more. "I want FOOD! Mummy gets me food! I WANT IT NOW!"

"Wow, are you gonna get this crazy when you regenerate?" Rose asked her Doctor, giving him a playful shove. The Doctor opened his mouth to reply, but Jackie cut straight across him.

"Sweetheart, he's like this normally," she said with a smile, turning finally with plate of food in hand and placing it on the table. Rose just gaped as Rory jumped into his seat, shoving everything around the vague area of his mouth. After a few moments he stopped, staring at the gazing crowd with marmalade smeared over his face.

"Whaaaaaat?" he asked innocently, wiping his mouth with his palm, which inevitably made it worse. "It's rude to stare!"

Jackie sighed, reaching up and wiping around his mouth with a towel. Rory seemed to click.

"Oh, right. Okies," he said, nibbling slightly on the corner of the sandwich whilst watching the others tentively.

"I think I know why you've regenerated into the same body," the Doctor suddenly said, still watching the child thoughtfully. He really _did_ look incredibly like his true father. "It's because I'm half-human, which means you're three quarters human, and therefore you don't have enough Time Lord DNA to _completely_rejuvenate your body. Repeating the same DNA structure with the selected alleles is the easy alternative to rewriting the entire DNA profile."

"So he'll look like that through all his bodies?" Sarah-Jane determined and the Doctor nodded. "Which is why the older Rory in the Infirmary…"

"Hasn't changed," the Doctor finished with a nod. "Yeah. He'd have acquired a new heart just after She shot the younger version of him. I thought he was just palpitating at first."

"It feels weird," Rory started up again, still munching on his sandwich. "It goes boom-boom, then the other goes boom-boom, then it's like boom-boom, boom-boom! Just likes how daddy's feels…" he trailed off, gulping down the last of the toast as he stared miserably at the table. "I want my daddy. I want my mummy. I want Uncle Jack."

"They're just gonna check you're alright, then they'll set off to get them back, right Doctor?" Rose prompted, looking at the Ninth Doctor.

He nodded. "I'll get them all back, for you Rory. For you, Lottie and Zoë."

* * *

The length of time that passed was impossible to determine, but the next interesting event happened when the dungeon door opened and Mickey appeared, holding a tray of something. Was that…food? Rose moved up to the bars, only now realising how starving she was. Mickey was swift, unlocking the door and placing the tray inside before locking it back up and walking away, completely in a trance the whole time. Rose thoughtfully watched him go.

"Doctor, what's happened to Mickey?" was the question she asked as she moved back to the tray Jack had retrieved, sounding worried. "What's She done to him?"

"She must be possessing him," the Doctor replied after a moment's thought, regarding the few slices of bread with uncertainty. They could be poisoned, or worse. "Wait, don't touch it," he quickly said as Rose reached out to take some bread. "It might be contaminated. She has no reason to keep us alive now, except for pleasure."

"I'll try it," Jack offered, shoving some into his mouth. He chewed for a moment then paused, as if waiting for something to happen before he swallowed it. "A little chewy, but I can't taste anythin' weird."

The Doctor, however dubious he felt knew he wasn't going to keep back Rose for much longer. "Alright, eat it." It seemed strange She would bother to feed them when She hadn't bothered with him at all, but maybe She was just giving them their 'Last Meal', so to speak.

"I mean, when Mickey left he wasn't exactly _happy_with us but he would never hurt anyone…" Rose was saying, holding out some bread for the Doctor to take.

"Left?" the Doctor echoed.

"He threw a hissy fit and ran out the TARDIS after we landed," Jack answered for Rose who was too preoccupied with eating. "Thought he must've gone back to the TARDIS after we left."

"Obviously not. What was the argument?"

"Mainly about you," he replied, and the Doctor raised his eyebrows. "Well, you and Rose specifically."

"Ooooh," the Doctor exclaimed, realising the truth. "That's it. She's heightened his jealousy, used it to control him. He's so far in a trace he'd rip us all apart without a second thought. She knows we wouldn't hurt him, which is why She's using him to do all the dirty work with us."

Jack nodded. "Makes sense."

"Enjoying your meal?" Khthonia's voice suddenly came from out of nowhere, and the three whirl around to the left to see Her standing in the cell with them, surrounded by a hue of purple coloured light. All three stayed silent, just watching Her watch them. She broadened a smirk. "Guess what?" She pointed to Her belly. "A little version of me and the Doctor on the way."

Rose gritted her teeth, feeling the anger boil up inside her. All three kept their mouths shut, Rose having plenty to say but not trusting for one moment what would come out of her mouth.

"Just so you can see…" She waved a hand over Her womb, and suddenly it started to grow rapidly, swollen to an eight-month pregnancy. She must've sped it up, like She had with Rose. "She's due any day now."

Rose could contain herself no longer as suddenly she exploded, "you bitch!!!" she screamed, launching forwards with her hands outstretched. Suddenly the Doctor yelled out loud and she stopped dead in her tracks, whirling around to see the Doctor's legs shrouded in purple and him crying out in agony. She ran back towards him in alarm, drawing him into a tight hug.

"Stop it!" she shouted at Khthonia, feeling him shaking in her clutch. "Just stop it! I'm sorry!"

The purple disappeared, and the Doctor stopped yelling, clinging onto Rose tightly so he could reassert himself.

"That was stage one," She said slowly and clearly, watching them with a hint of pity in Her eyes. "If you disobey me, we'll slowly move up the ranks to Stage Five…and that won't be very pretty."

She laughed heartily, disappearing in a whirl of purple fabric.

"We are _so_screwed," Jack spoke after a few moments of silence, to which Rose and the Doctor both concurred.

"Or not," suddenly said a voice from the side, and all three turned one more only this time to see a small blonde girl in a white dress.

"Eva," Rose realised in delight, watching her as she moved forwards to the group. She gave a wave to Jack, who gave one back. She stopped next to her father, taking his hand in both of hers.

"Daddy? You wanted me?"

He nodded, pushing himself up to full sitting position with his available hand. "Eva, do you trust me?"

She nodded, puzzled. "What is it?"

"I'm going to need your help."

"For what?"

The Doctor looked around at Jack, Rose and Eva, a huge grin plastered on his face. "I've got a real humdinger of a plan."


	39. And That Makes 103 Pages

**A/N: **#Heeeeeey heeeeeeey I wanna be a rockstaaaaaaaaar!#

How cool was Torchwood tonight? Jack's memories made me cry :( Poor Jack.

IT'LL END SOON I PROMISE:P

* * *

Chapter 39 – And That Makes 103 Pages

"Ready?"

Eva didn't answer for a moment, her tongue between her teeth as she concentrated all her energy on the task before her. Her hands passed over her father's broken bones, temporarily numbing the pain long enough for this.

"Done," she announced, pulling back.

"Alright," the Doctor said, quickly testing the integrity of them. They were still painful but enough to bear. "Nice one. Thanks."

Eva smiled at him, disappearing in a shimmer of golden light. Jack handed the Doctor a jagged piece of rock to which he swiftly sliced across his palm with a hiss of pain. He flexed his hand for the moment, bringing out the blood onto the floor in a puddle before licking his palm, gathering blood in his mouth.

"He's comin'," Rose announced as the dungeon door clicked loudly. The Doctor quickly smeared more blood around his lips and on his shirt, before lying on the ground next to the puddle, closing his eyes. He heard the door creak open, signalling the entry of a hypnotised Mickey Smith.

"Jack! What's happenin'?" Rose said frantically, cradling the Doctor's head in both hands.

"I don't know Rose…" Jack answered, reaching up to the Time Lord's neck to check for a pulse, before hovering his hand over his mouth. "He's just about breathin'."

Mickey had reached the cell door now but hadn't moved to open it, just staring at the sight infront of him.

"Doctor please don't leave me, _please…"_Rose said desperately, screaming in surprise as the Doctor coughed and spluttered suddenly, bringing up half a pint of blood onto the floor. "No!"

"What's wrong?" came Mickey's monotone voice from the other side of the bars.

"What do you care?!" Rose almost screamed as she held the Doctor's head tightly, "he's dying!"

"Doctor just stay with me! Breathe deeply, you're gonna be just fine!" Jack was saying.

"Does he require medical attention?" Mickey's voice asked, sounding closer.

"He's relapsing, if he doesn't get treatment soon he'll die…" Jack muttered, loud enough for Mickey to hear.

Rose kissed the Time Lord's forehead. "Doctor fight this! Please, we need you!"

"He can't hear you," Mickey suddenly said, unlocking the door and stepping inside, moving over to them.

"Help him Khthonia!" Rose wept. "You love him too, don't you?"

Mickey bent down to the Doctor, reaching up to check his eyes. In one swift movement Jack moved around behind him and hooked his arm around his neck, pressing against his throat in a full blood choke. He struggled for a few moments in Jack's arms, before collapsing into unconsciousness.

"Sorry Mickey boy," Jack said to the unconscious man now strewn out onto the floor, helping to get the Doctor onto his feet.

"C'mon," the Doctor said quickly, pain shooting up his legs as he jogged out the open cell door, but just about bearing it. He led the three down the corridor to the dungeon door, checking left and right before slipping through the gap. He turned back, addressing Rose and Jack, "you two head left, you know the plan. I'll go right."

Rose and Jack both nodded. "See you in Hell," Jack said with a salute. The Doctor saluted back, turning to leave the two.

"Wait," Rose suddenly said as she jumped forward towards him, grabbing his shirt and pulling him back around to face her. "I don't care if you taste of blood," she said, reaching up and pressing her lips against his. "I love you, be careful."

"You too," he murmured against her mouth before they both pulled away, and the Doctor turned and fled down the corridor. Rose watched him go with tears in her eyes.

"He'll be fine Rose," Jack tried to reassure her, but all she did was bite her lip.

* * *

Stabbing pains were already coming back to his legs but he ploughed on, determined to complete his task. He could still taste Rose from her last kiss and he was resolute in making it work.

Fatigue and nausea were beginning to take hold again, brought on by the sudden rush. He had to stop for a moment and lean against the wall, wondering how far Rose had got, and if she would make it out. Jack had promised he would make sure that she did, and that was good enough for him.

He was well aware that might have been the last time he'd ever see her, but it had_had _to be done. Thinking of Rose, he pushed himself off of the wall and began to jog once more.

"Doctor!" Jack's voice suddenly yelled and the Doctor whirled around to meet the ex-Time Agent sprinting towards him. The Doctor's eyes widened in shock.

"Did she get out?!" he yelled, hoping and praying Jack hadn't come back to tell him Khthonia had done something. To his utter relief, Jack nodded as he came to a stop infront of him.

"She sent me back to check on you," he answered the Doctor's next question. He wasn't really surprised. "And also to give you this." Jack reached up to the Doctor and took his head into both hands, kissing his forehead. The Doctor looked stunned, and even more so as Jack drew back and grinned. "Actually, that was a lie. I wanted to give you that." Jack didn't even bother to wait for a reply as he took the Doctor's arm and pulled him to run down the corridor.

But they didn't get very far.

"Jack…!" the Doctor moaned, pulling Jack back to stop as the pain began to remount in his legs. "Jack…" He collapsed to the ground, unable to take it any longer as he groaned loudly in pain.

"I'll carry you!" he said quickly, reaching down to take the Doctor already knowing there was no point to it. Within a few seconds there was a bright flash of purple and the Doctor was temporarily blinded, before he heard a loud thud of a fallen body somewhere close to him.

"Jack!" he called in complete ignorance to her, turning over towards the direction of the sound. His vision slowly began to clear and he could see Jack lying across the corridor from him, face down with his eyes closed and smoke radiating eerily out of a hole in his back.

"Sorry sweetie, he's dead," She said without a hint of compassion. The Doctor ignored her, pulling himself up to move over to his best friend with agony coursing through his broken bones. He stumbled over to him, collapsing next to his dead body and quickly checking his pulse. Dead. He readjusted Jack's body to a more comfortable position. She watched him with vague amusement. "And frankly Doctor, soon you'll be sorry you aren't dead too."

"Save it," the Doctor said simply, savouring what he knew to be his last few moments in open space. It wasn't until he actually raised his gaze to her did he realise her womb was no longer swollen, and she held a small baby in her arms. _His_ baby.

"I named her Erida," She carried on,

"Greek Goddess of Hate," the Doctor summed up in a single sentence, letting his head drop back to Jack, who suddenly gasped in air as he launched out a hand to grab the nearest available object, which happened to be the Doctor. His eyes bolted open, sitting up and staring at nothing.

Khthonia watched, a little surprised but the joy was obvious in Her stare.

"How intriguing, a mortal that cannot die," She thought aloud, "you're going to be much more fun than I originally thought."

She suddenly looked back to the Doctor, fixing him with a piercing gaze. Jack could only watch helplessly as She narrowed her eyes slightly and a few moments later the Doctor fell to the floor beside him, unconscious.

"Doctor…" Jack muttered, turning over to look at the Time Lord, feeling Her eyes watching him.

"You won't be seeing each other for some time," She stated, Her eyes locking with his. "A _very_long time, in fact."

The last thing he heard before he passed out was her murderous laughter echoing in his ears.

* * *

Rose Sigma-Tyler dragged herself out of the moat, shivering with the freezing cold as the air rushed straight through her. Hugging herself, she turned back to the castle and told herself he and Jack would be just fine.

"I love you Doctor," she whispered into the darkness, turning to disappear into the forest.


	40. What Are The Genres Of This Story Again?

**A/N: **Yayness! Not long till series four now :D Only four weeks of school torture and then Easter Holidays! Then DW airs. Alledgedly. Dunno exact date but David said early April :) TRUST THE WORD OF THE ALMIGHTY DAVID!!!

* * *

Chapter 40 – What Are The Genres Of This Story Again?

**Three weeks later…**

It was bloody cold in here, and Jack couldn't help but wonder where the hell the so-called 'rescue' party had got to. They couldn't bloody rescue a cat stuck up a tree.

Okay, so that was slightly selfish. Khthonia had just left him here and forgotten about him, so God only really knew what was being done to the Doctor. Jack dreaded to think. He only hoped the Doctor was still alive and could hold out long enough for them to get to him.

"Life-sign from in here," came a girl's voice from outside suddenly, and Jack could easily recognise the tender tones of Jill Lethbridge-Stewart, and he never thought he'd be so happy to hear her voice. "Hello? Can you hear me?"

Rose's voice came next. "Doctor? Jack?"

"Rose," Jack called out, sitting up slightly as if he thought they'd have trouble seeing him.

"Jack!" Rose called once more, sounding even closer. "Is the Doctor with you?"

"No," he replied, unable to get the tone of regret out of his voice.

"Break-in positions, I'll go first," he heard Jill's voice next as she spoke to the UNIT group, waiting for them to assume positions before there was a short burst of gunfire under a silencer, some grinding of metal on metal before the door swung easily right open.

"Took you long enough!" Jack said indignantly from the darkness, and Jill cast a beam of light from her torch to the figure sat in the corner, curled in on himself. He instantly shielded his eyes from the light, having not seen it for so long.

"Well next time we won't bother," Jill muttered, rolling her eyes. Bloody ungrateful Harkness.

"Are you alright?" Rory asked his uncle, moving forward with the Sonic to unlock the hand chains.

"I'm fine, we should worry more about your dad to be honest," he said, rubbing sore wrists as Rory pulled him to his feet, and Jack gave Rose a brief hug. "Good to see you again Rosie."

Rose gritted her teeth, annoyed. "My name isn't Rosie!"

Jack just laughed. "You're okay?" He rested both his hands on her shoulders, staring into her eyes as she nodded affirmation. "Glad we go you out, if nothin' else." He turned to the rest of the group. "What took you so long?"

Rory shrugged. "It was the TARDIS. She wouldn't land before this time, she said 'the time is not right' or something."

Jack nodded, already knowing why. He turned to Gwen. "Gun?" He held out his hand to receive a firearm from Gwen, already loaded. He flicked off the safety and raised it straight, checking his aim. "Alright, let's go."

* * *

The journey was slow and hindered, the constant checking of the ring made it even slower. The energy in the ring was somehow scattered, and Rory claimed the energy vibes from his father were somehow faded. Owen kept his medical kit close, anticipating the worst. 

Suddenly Rory stopped dead in his tracks, staggering slightly and grabbing his head as he cried out in shock. Everyone instantly span around, the Doctor the first to bound over to him and place his hands on either side of his son's head.

"What is it?" he asked in his Northern accent, scanning quickly through Rory's mind to find the source.

"I don't know…" he murmured, "got all light-headed for a second."

"Energy burst?" the Doctor questioned, more to himself. "Not sure. We should keep an eye on it though."

But then Rose gasped, and once again everyone turned to see what was going on. She suddenly pelted forward towards the junction in the corridor, taking a right whilst screaming, "DOCTOR!" as she ran. Jack and the Doctor shared a glance, unsure of this new happening before leading the pack in following after her.

They finally caught up with her a few hundred yards later, standing still at the start of a long corridor staring down the end.

"Rose? What is it?" Jack asked, almost falling over in his haste to stop beside her.

"He's gone…" she whispered, traces of disbelief plain in her voice. "I saw him. I swear I saw him. He came this way and…" she frowned once more, squinting down the corridor. "There!" she yelled, pointing ahead of her and sprinting in that same direction. Jack followed her gaze – and froze.

"Doctor?!" he exclaimed in disbelief, but already knew that wasn't the Doctor. The Doctor wasn't shiny, silver and made a high-pitched buzzing noise like a television. It was some kind of…apparition. "Okay, enterin' the realms of fantasy now…" he muttered, before following Rose.

She ran some more, the others following her before she stopped at another junction and sighed. He was gone again. She turned back, watery eyes fixed on Jack, questions brewing inside of her.

"Yeah, I saw him," he said before she could ask. "I don't know what's goin' on."

Rory stepped forward, resting his hand on his mum's shoulder. "Well whatever it was, it's definitely taken us closer to dad. The energy's still weak, but it's stronger."

"Could it have been Eva?" Jill suddenly asked, frowning through her thoughts. "Like, created his image to guide us?"

"That makes sense," Jack nodded. "But why doesn't she just tell us?"

"Wait, you're going to have to talk me through with this one…" Sarah-Jane was saying sounding incredibly confused. "Eva's dead, so how can she be walking around?" The Ninth Doctor saw everyone else nod in agreement to her question.

"Everything I'm about to say is complete theory, and until now I never believed it myself. Okay, this isn't the only Universe in existence. Aswell as parallel Universes, there are different plains of reality. You have our reality, of what we call 'the living', but there are so many things living amongst us and we're completely blind. The superstition of ghosts? Just a different plain of reality that now and again leaks through. It's all just a theory, but it's said when souls die they need somewhere to go. They don't just disappear."

"Like energy?" Gwen asked, and the Doctor nodded.

"Exactly. Energy cannot be destroyed; it has to go somewhere in some form. Just like souls. So some people say they go to an alternate plain of reality, which now and again leaks through. Those are the ghosts. But this Woman, Khthonia, She can see all these plains of reality and has brought back souls of the dead that harness great power to the wrong reality. Eva is a powerful psychic, which is why She brought her back and enslaved her. Get it?"

"No," Gwen said blankly.

"Ape."

"Yip, yip!"

The sound was surprising and Rose even jumped in alarm as something furry rubbed against her leg, panting loudly. She looked down, shocked to see Bob. The instant he knew she was looking at him he bolted off down the corridor, howling like a dog in the hunt as he disappeared around the corner. Had Bob been here with the Doctor all this time?

He led them quickly down a million corridors, taking lefts and rights and seemingly knowing exactly where he was going. Every now and then he'd stop, sniff the air and the floor, then go bounding off in a new direction. By the time they had caught up with him he was standing by a large pair of double-doors, sniffing the crack between them and pawing at the wood. Obediently the members of UNIT moved forward and pulled the heavy doors open.

Jaws dropped.

* * *

**A/N: **OMG look! 

_ Chapter 41 – That Big RAWR Climatic Scene Part One_

_ There was torture equipment either side of them, apparently well used and heavily blood stained. There hung tens of metal cages encasing helpless skeletons from the ceiling, which was as least thirty feet above their heads._

_ "Classic architecture, dontcha love it?" Jack grinned, gazing up at the nearest torture implement – which happened to be a rack._

_ "Gives me goosebumps," the Doctor agreed in his Northern accent, taking a side glance at Rose – but she had seen something far more interesting than the architecture at the other end of the hall._

So we're getting so close to the end!


	41. That Big RAWR Climatic Scene Part One

Chapter 41 – That Big RAWR Climatic Scene Part One

The sight before them was frankly astonishing – the sheer size of the room made you feel small and diminutive compared to Jackie's flat at home. There was a long stretch of hallway for around twenty metres, a charcoal black carpet stretching from the doorway to the platform like a royal carpet to a throne. There were lights either side of the pathway every two metres, a guidance to the route. At the other end of the hall was a huge cliff-like platform, the only connection to it being two gradually curving stairways disappear up and to the sides of the platform.

There was torture equipment either side of them, apparently well used and heavily blood stained. There hung tens of metal cages encasing helpless skeletons from the ceiling, which was as least thirty feet above their heads.

"Classic architecture, dontcha love it?" Jack grinned, gazing up at the nearest torture implement – which happened to be a rack.

"Gives me goosebumps," the Doctor agreed in his Northern accent, taking a side glance at Rose – but she had seen something far more interesting than the architecture at the other end of the hall.

"Doctor," she said breathlessly, and even before anyone could stop her she was running, running towards the figure at the other end, but even before he turned Rose knew it was another of his apparitions, but that didn't make her stop running. Weak from fatigue she staggered down a hallway, her concentration on one man and one man only, and that was the Doctor.

His raised his hand upwards and pointed towards the top of the platform behind him, guiding the rescue party one last time. He gave a thumbs-up and a weak grin, lowering his hands to his sides as Rose stopped but a metre from him. She watched, absolutely mesmerised as the apparition's golden eyes stared straight into hers.

"Caution," he mouthed silently and Rose nodded. He maintained half grin. She smiled back, extending a shaking hand out towards him. He raised his own hand, slowly bringing it down to touch hers – but to her despair, as soon as they met the Doctor standing before her suddenly evaporated into the air, like his image was broken into a thousand pieces and absorbed by the sky. She stood still for a moment, hand still extended as she heard the rescue party come to a halt behind her.

"Up here," she gestured to the right hand stairs, leading the group as she walked unwaveringly up, anticipating the worst. What would she see? Was it too late? Did Khthonia kill him?

As she reached the top of the stairs she first noted that Bob seemed to have got there first. He whined loudly, bounding up another set of stairs to a body slumped at the top, the motionless body of the Doctor.

He looked terrible.

Bruises and cuts were all over him, the clothes he wore were ripped and bloodshed, and even looking at him made them all feel light headed. Bob was licking clean his wounds, whining as he worked.

Rose remained speechless as she made to move forwards towards him, but suddenly found herself thrown backwards towards the wall by an invisible force. She heard Jack cry out her name and crouch down next to her, helping her to sit up.

"Stay back," Her voice said calmly, and instantly Rose feel the fury burn brightly inside her. She jumped onto her feet and screamed rage, running forward to tear the Woman limb-from-limb. Khthonia didn't show any signs of fear or haste; simply raised Her hand and directed it at the Doctor. Rose stopped dead. She knew how this worked. "So, you found me," Khthonia continued, "congratulations. Have your prize." She knelt down next to the Doctor, brushing back his hair and kissing him gently on the cheek. "Doctor, wake up baby."

He didn't stir. She waved a hand over his head, frowning slightly.

"Oh, he's in a coma again," She sighed, sounding weary. She lowered her hand to his eyes, hovering for a moment before he suddenly jerked, gasping for breath as his eyes flew open. "Welcome back honey," She purred, pressing a kiss to his lips. He tried to turn his head but She easily caught him before he could move. The action just fuelled Rose's anger even more. "Look who's here?" She said, turning his head to the left to look at the crowd gathered at the foot of the stairs. He showed no signs of surprise, just simply gave Rose a fleeting smile.

"Hey Rose," he croaked, too weak and in too much pain to give a wave. Despite everything else, she found herself smiling back at him.

"How you doin'?" she asked, quite aware of all the stares they were currently getting from everyone else.

"Oh, same old," he replied. "How about you?"

"Same." She grinned. "Have fun?"

"Ooo yeah," he said, sarcasm dripping from his tone, "it's been a right laugh."

"Be quiet!" She suddenly screamed, kicking him in the side, hard. The force threw him off of the top of the steps and he fell down them, unable to stop himself until he was lying in a heap at the bottom, coughing. Rose instantly moved forward, Jack not far behind. Rose gathered him in her arms, pressing a kiss to his forehead as he continued to cough, now bringing up blood.

"Mum," suddenly came Rory's voice from above her, and Rose looked up to see the Sonic Screwdriver being offered to her. She smiled weakly at him, taking the Sonic and buzzing the chains clamped around the Doctor's wrists and ankles. Jack looked up to Owen, beckoning the trained doctor over. He looked back to check the Doctor, but he'd fallen unconscious once more.

"Oh, you should have heard him scream," Khthonia said, sounding absolutely delighted at the prospect.

"You'd better have a gravestone ready," Jack spat, raising up his gun and pointing it directly at Her head.

"Drop it, Jack," the Doctor warned in his Northern voice, but Jack wasn't listening.

"Would you shoot a mother?" Khthonia asked, moving forwards slightly to the ex-Time Agent.

"Why did you want his child so badly?" Rose quizzed, reassured by the feeling of the Doctor in her arms once more. "Take over the world kind of thing?"

"I want revenge on my captors. I want mortals to pay for what they did to me. I want to be the creator of the ultimate being and dominate all existence."

"Don't you psychos ever think of a new goal?" Rory suddenly started, stepping away from his mother towards Khthonia. "I mean, it's always dominate this…take over that…"

"Puny half-blooded mortal!" She merely spat in reply, eyes fixing onto Rory's, hard and scowling. "You are as weak as the rest!"

"Don't you dare call my son weak."

The sudden voice came as something of a surprise to the entire company in the room, heads swirling around to the Doctor onto the floor as they sudden found him sitting up straight under his own strength. Darkness was awash in his eyes as he tried not to let his captor see him affected by his wounds. The right of his chest cavity was agonising, and with every breath he took he felt he was breathing in tar.

"Because humans, or mortals as you like to call them, aren't weak Khthonia," he continued, spitting out her name with strained coolness. "They're completely the opposite. It's the drive they have to stay alive, to live longer, just to grab one more day of life to live. Their life spans are _so_short, it's no wonder they do what they do. They sit there eating chips all day, trying to discover new ways of living, new ways to think – to do – to feel. They try so hard yet achieve so little – yet they refuse to end it all. And that is what makes them unique."

"But they are not worthy of your sympathy!"

"What makes you any better, eh?" he demanded. "You're not a human, you are human in origin but you haven't been a human since the day immortality began. You're something the cat just coughed up, frankly."

She was staring at him now, clenching Her fists tightly as something glass-based suddenly smashed to the right of him. She was losing it.

"You have no drive, you have nothing to want or need except that bitter taste of revenge. Yeah, you say revenge, but revenge on _who?"_

"Mortals! They were the scum that did this to me, they will pay the price!"

"The mortals made you one of the most powerful beings in the Universe, and you're looking for revenge? Call me an idiot, but that sounds a pretty raw deal to me."

She was really beginning to get angry now.

"Shut up! _Shut up!" _She screamed, whirling around to face away from them. "You may be not be a mortal Doctor, but you do _not_ have a heart of stone. You've killed your daughter before, but really, could you do it again I wonder?"

She suddenly turned back to them, a huge evil smile spread onto Her face.

"Because you and I both know you never could."

Suddenly there was a bright flash of light, and around him people screamed in alarm as the Doctor felt himself fall back onto Rose, unable to stop himself. He forced his eyes open, his vision dulled by the murkiness.

Then he saw it.

The dark figure silhouetted by the light, small yet imposing shrouded in darkness. Slowly but surely vision began to clear, until they could all see the source.

A little girl.

Well, that was what she appeared to be at least. She had a blackened aura cascading around her like a tempest, her equally as black eyes bizarrely mixed with her bright blonde hair. Her skin was so pale she looked as though she were dead with her black dress clinging tightly to her skeleton thin frame.

"_I am Erida, and you are all tiny,"_ she didn't even say the words, her speech echoing inside their heads. She raised a glowing hand and waved it vaguely in their direction. The movement was so little, but it was enough to send several UNIT soldiers flying back several metres. _"Watch the Universe crumble and cripple beneath my reign…"_

* * *

**A/N: **Well, this is all just getting rather stupid, isn't it:P_  
_

_Chapter 42 – That Big RAWR Climatic Scene Part Two_

_She shook her head, sadly. "You could have so much more. I can see your grief, rage and hate locked within your heart. You desire the power to control fate, and that's easy to accomplish if only you opened your mind to me..."_

_He chose his words carefully, "I don't want to rule the Universe."_

"_Lies," she spat, "why do you deny your destiny?"_


	42. That Big RAWR Climatic Scene Part Two

**A/N: **Wow, I'm never gonna finish in time for series four, am I? Okay, today is 'Bust-My-Ass Day' where I try to get as much done as possible. I'll try and work on the bodyswap one for a bit, coz I've kinda been slacking off of that recently.

Yes, I could make excuses like, "case study had to be finished" and, "History essay needs to be done by tomorrow" but to be honest...I need to do them both now and look what I'm doing instead? Also, I'm cooking hot cross buns. I'm useless at cooking. I've already burnt my hand twice.

* * *

Chapter 42 – That Big RAWR Climatic Scene Part Two

"Stop it," the Doctor in Rose's arms said through gritted teeth. "Just stop it. I won't let you do this."

"_Who are you to question my actions?" _Erida demanded with fire blazing in her eyes, anger and temptation to kill._"You are nothing to me!"_

To prove her point she raised her arm once more to point straight at Jill, and began to clench her fist. Jill dropped her gun, eyes wide as she began to scream…

"No!" Jack suddenly yelled, moving forward to help her as she collapsed to the ground, curling in on herself.

"Let her go!" the Doctor yelled, pulling away from Rose's arms involuntarily through his mounting anger. Erida didn't even bother looking at him, but all the same, let go. Jack held the woman protectively for a few moments, the both of them just breathing before they realised what they were actually doing.

"Get off of me, Harkness!" Jill hissed through gritted teeth, trying to pull away. Jack held her closer in rebellion.

"What, and let you win?!" he retorted rudely. She only replied by collapsing in a dead faint.

"_Pathetic, wretched little mortals. So weak, so frail," _Erida said with contempt,_"such a scrawny little race." _The Tenth Doctor saw her eyes flash towards him, the deep black pits never seeming so foreboding and cold. _"Yet you live among them."_

"I choose to," the Doctor answered calmly, "because they're the most incredible race of beings I know."

"_A pitiful reason."_

"That's as well as maybe, but I consider it my duty to stand by them."

She curled her upper lip into a snarl. _"Duty?! _You're_ as pathetic as _they_ are!"_

"Maybe I am. But I only do what comes naturally to me; I have to protect them."

She shook her head, sadly. _"You could have so much more. I can see your grief, rage and hate locked within your heart. You desire the power to control fate, and that's easy to accomplish if only you opened your mind to me..."_

He chose his words carefully, "I don't want to rule the Universe."

"_Lies," _she spat, _"why do you deny your destiny?"_

"This is just gettin'_too _weird…" Jack muttered under his breath, staring transfixed at the sight before him with Jill still cradled in his arms.

"That's not my destiny," the Doctor said as he shook his head.

"_I can see it in your path…"_

"Well, to be totally honest, I never really stuck to paths."

"_So you'll stay here with locked potential and power for eternity? Just for the sake of a few worthless mortals?"_

The Doctor nodded, happily. "That's about the sum of it, yeah. And if you had any common sense, you'd do the same thing too."

She laughed hysterically. _"And what gives you the authority to advise _me?!"

"Well, because I'm your father."

Silence ensued for a few moments, Erida staring at him thoughtfully.

"_Well father, answer me this. Who has the most power? Your weakling half-human son…" _– she gestured to the boy, Rory, in question – _"…or me, the child without a drop of pure mortal blood?"_

The Doctor clicked his tongue for a moment, considering. "Well, that's not entirely true, y'know." She blinked, obviously taken by surprise as the Doctor carried on, "y'see, Rory there isn't half-Human. He's not even half-Time Lord. Because really, he is three quarters Human, and a quarter Time Lord." She went to protest, but the Doctor cut her short. "Because I'm his father. And the horrible, terrible truth about me is I'm not a pure Time Lord." Rose was grinning to herself, knowing what was coming next.

Khthonia suddenly spoke, eyes wide. "Then what are you?"

A huge, happy grin spread onto his face. "Me? I'm half-human."

"No!" Khthonia shrieked, unable to contain Her horror.

"So, in turn, seeing as I'm your father…" he eyed Erida carefully, who was dead still and silent. "…That makes you a quarter Human. Pure Human blood, all mixing up and contaminating your own amazing concoction of Time Lord and…" He paused, gesturing vaguely at Khthonia as if She wasn't important at all. "…Whatever that is."

"_No…" _Erida whispered, silent tears trailing down her face as the aura around her slowly began to settle to nothing. _"I can't believe it. I_won't _believe it…no…no…I am no longer for this mortal world…"_

The Doctor could only watched sadly as before him his own daughter wailed and screamed, unable to take in the simple facts. There was a suddenly loud, eardrum piercing sound accompanied with another flash of blinding light, and when they all opened their eyes there was nothing left where Erida had been standing, except for one thing.

A small, motionless baby.

Khthonia screamed with rage, moving forward to inspect this new baby. She gathered the bundle up in Her arms, holding the still girl close to Her chest. She began to cry, tears of sorrow running down Her cheeks. The company could only watch in silence as the Woman who had once captivated them with fear and anger with Her immense power now broke down emotionally infront of them. Finally She tore Her eyes from her, looking directly at the Doctor with utter fury.

"You…" She whispered, unable to get the words out. "You…you hurt my child…" Her voice was distant and cold. "You _killed _her _soul…"_

"She did that to herself," the Doctor replied truthfully, "I've just stated some facts. She couldn't bear her own humanity."

"You _killed _my baby girl!!!" She cried, forcing back the tears. Rose almost felt her own tears welling in her eyes from the scene infront of her. She could remember Eva so clearly; how the Doctor had knelt on the floor of the Infirmary with the lifeless baby girl in his arms, crying for their loss. She could easily recall the nights they'd spent just holding each other, braving the heartache together.

For a few moments, silence reigned the hall.

"Rory," Jack suddenly spoke though the silence, making to get up as he gathered Jill into his arms. He could sense it was over. "Go back to the TARDIS and bring it here. And preferably within this century?" he added on the end, giving the boy a grin. He looked to Tosh, who was messing about one-handed on her laptop. "Tosh, reckon you could lead him?"

She nodded. "I've created a structural blue print of floors one and two with thermal scanning. Should be pretty much straightforward." She passed through the huge double doors, Rory following on behind. Jack looked down toward the rousing woman still in his arms, giving her a small smile. She looked disgusted at his actions.

"Okay Doc," Jack turned to the man who was now lying back down against Rose, just trying to control his breathing. "Just hang on a little longer and we'll go-"

"Don't think you're going _anywhere."_

They turned their heads towards the Woman at the top of the platform, seeing she had set down the baby girl on the top step and was now on two feet, staring at them all with hatred. "You will _all _die…"

* * *

**A/N: **That was a dumb cliffhanger. Oh well. 


	43. That Big RAWR Climatic Scene Part Three

**A/N: **Here we go again. Yes, it's a four-parter climactic scene thingy-ma-jiggy. I don't really like this chapter. Actually I detest it. Oh well.

* * *

Chapter 43 – That Big RAWR Climatic Scene Part Three

"Open fire!!"

The sudden burst of gunfire from UNIT's guns was deafening in everyone's ears, several people jumping and screaming. The Ninth Doctor's eyes widened and he bounced forward yelling, "no! stop!" but it was too late. The bullets seemed to bounce right off of her, firing in all directions.

"Take cover!" Jack yelled to the party, but by then it was too late. The Tenth Doctor heard Rose cry out behind him and with a surge of energy he didn't even know he had in him he turned around, and launched himself over her to protect his wife. More bullets ricocheted off of the floor and walls, screaming past within and inch of his ears. Seconds passed until the last of the bullets dropped to the floor, and all fell silent.

"You okay?" the Doctor muttered into Rose's hair, holding her close with her face pressing against his chest. He could start to feel his shirt becoming wet. "Rose?" He pushed her away to check her over, and paled dramatically to white.

Tears were pouring down her face as she suddenly fell limp in his arms, the familiar crimson colour of blood spreading out over her chest from a bullet straight through her heart. She exhaled a deep, prolonged breath as her love-filled eyes slipped closed, and the Doctor found himself left staring at a dead woman in his arms.

"Rose?" he croaked, though deep down he knew it was no use. "Rose…please, breathe?" Tears were welling in his eyes now, unable to push away the combined shock and grief. "R-Rose…I c-can't…I can't d-do this…without y-you…" he managed to stutter, drawing her closer and clinging tightly to her frame. "Pl-please…"

"Hurts, doesn't it?" Khthonia's voice suddenly came, sounding so distant from him right now. "My daughter is dead, and now your wife is dead."

The Doctor's breathing was loud and tense, just about managing to gather the willpower to gently lower the woman he held to the floor as though she were made of gossamer. "Shut up," he grated in no particular direction.

"Shut up? Did you just tell me to shut up?!" She was on the edge of shrieking. "A life for a life, that's a pretty fair deal!"

"Shut up."

She launched out a hand and the resulting bolt caught him full in the chest. He gritted his teeth as the cloud of energy held him rigid, teasing him.

"Now what was that?" She asked remarkably politely. The Doctor lifted his eyes to look at her.

"I said shut up," he replied casually. Jack watched in horror as Khthonia tightened Her fist and the Doctor cried out in agony with the sound of a crack. What was he doing? Was he _trying_to get Her to kill him? Had Rose's death finally made him collapse under the weight of everything?

"Didn't quite catch that?" She was teasing him.

"Are you deaf? I said _shut up."_

"Doctor!" Jack called out to the Time Lord as the next phase came to an end. "Please, don't let this happen…"

The Doctor ignored him, gritting his teeth against the pain. "Come on Khthonia! Is that all you've got? You're pathetic."

She screamed in utter rage, a few more cracks ensuing as the Doctor screamed with Her. Sarah-Jane run forward and held tightly onto him, utterly terrified.

"You're useless," the Doctor carried on, half-choking on the blood escaping from his mouth. "Nothing you've done works, _nothing…_you tried to seduce me, you _failed._You tried to keep a baby, and _failed._You're trying to mock me, and guess what – you're _failing."_

"I never failed! You're the one that failed!" She laxed the gripping power She had on him. "Your pathetic little escape plan failed! Did you really think you'd be able to escape with the legs I broke?!"

"Oh, but that wasn't the plan," the Doctor replied simply, closing his eyes to the world as his fists clenched tightly. Khthonia noticed this, eyes narrowing at the sight. "The plan was never to get free. I needed to get you right where I wanted, and so I played right into your hands."

Khthonia blinked, unable to believe what he was suggesting. He'd completely tricked Her? He'd made Her think She was in charge, and all the while he'd operated beneath Her field of vision?

"First thing I had to do was get Rose out of the way of you," he was saying, fists clenching even tighter than before as he concentrated. "So I invented a simple escape plan, separating myself from Jack and Rose – I knew you'd come after me first. You acted exactly how I anticipated; came chasing after me, allowing Rose to freely escape with Jack's help." His hair was now rushing back in an imaginary breeze, and still Khthonia still was unable to do anything to prevent the sight now building up infront of Her. "It was all set. I was your helpless prisoner and didn't you love to think it. I played captive for you and all the while something else was going on, but you failed to see it."

Everyone was now staring in awe at the Doctor as bright golden light was suddenly tingling on his skin, fists still clenched with his eyes shut tightly.

"Eva. You never even knew she was my daughter, did you?" Khthonia's dropped-jaw said it all. "You let her come into my cell every day without you, and oh boy, that was where you failed the worst." He was rising up off of the floor now, hovering in the air whilst enveloped in that bright golden light. "I've always had unlocked potential, Eva proves that since she's my child. So I asked her to train me, teach me how to control the psychic energy I've got within me…because frankly, it's the only way you're ever going to be convinced to stop. _That_was the plan."

His fists started to unclench now as his head tilted back, just letting the energy rush through him and envelop his soul. He breathed as if taking in his first breath of pure oxygen for months, and still Khthonia could do nothing in retaliation.

"So I'm telling you. Stop now, or I'll _make_you stop."

His eyes suddenly shot wide-open, bright golden light pouring from his irises and illuminating the Woman infront of him. She shrieked in surprise, holding Her hands up to shield Herself but still unable to retort as the events unfolded infront of Her.

He held out his golden hand towards Her. "Rebecca, I am giving you one last chance. Take my hand."

"Do not call me that, that side of me died a long time ago!" She suddenly screamed, fierce purple energy springing into life around Her as She maintained Her position of floating in the air. "I can kill you all whenever I _want!"_

"You wouldn't dare Rebecca, you haven't got it in you."

"We'll soon see about that!" She shrieked, raising Her hand and clicking Her fingers. For a moment, nothing happened, but then the incredible roaring sound of an immense fire broke out from what sounded like far away, getting closer, and closer, and closer.

The others could only watch, paralysed by her power as the fire came out behind Khthonia, Her screaming in delight through the purple flames as they advanced towards the crowd like an oncoming train. But the Doctor was ready. He braced himself, muscles tensing as he established a total mind-state of temperance. The fire hit him, and suddenly stopped dead in its advance as the Doctor shone with more golden light. No one moved a muscle whilst he concentrated, shielding his friends from certain death with his own mental power. Squeezing his eyes shut he concentrated his focus, imagining the sea of frozen purple fire shattering to nothing before him.

He opened his eyes, and the fire had disappeared.

"Shit," Owen breathed, almost completely certain he was going to die for the whole of seven seconds.

Khthonia fumed, clenching Her fists before sending out another wave. The Doctor repeated the action over, but he could feel his energy starting to dissipate. Khthonia obviously picked up on this, sending out another wave, and another, and another. By the time he'd broken apart the fourth wave he was mentally exhausted, audibly panting for air. She grinned widely, and sent another. He managed to dispel it but now he had sank to the ground, gasping as he lay on the floor. He couldn't take another…was She going to? Could She? He raised his head slightly to meet Her gaze, within one second knowing She now would not hesitate to do it.

She raised Her hand once more; the purple flames tearing their way across to them for the last time. He tried to at least freeze them even for a moment but he couldn't even raise a hand.

He felt no pain as the fire consumed him.


	44. That Big RAWR Climatic Scene Part Four

**A/N: **Well, here we go. Half of this chapter was written in History, and the other half in...more History. 

I shall reply to reviews. Coz I'm well cool. Uh huh.

My tagline for this story is: "Well, this is all just getting rather silly, isn't it?"

* * *

Chapter 44 – That Big RAWR Climatic Scene Part Four

The crowd watched in horror as the flames flew over the Doctor, now advancing on them with the same hunger. 

"No!" came a cry from nowhere, and the purple fire had stopped in its advance once more. It shattered once again until the entire crowd could see Eva, kneeling down beside her father with her hands raised, forming a protective shield around them. She let go and shot a look up at Khthonia, golden eyes shining.

"Move away from him girl!" Khthonia demanded, "he is the man that murdered you!"

"I know Mistress," Eva replied simply.

"Move away!"

"No Mistress."

Her eyes suddenly began to burn with hatred and impatience. "Then so be it…" Her hand rose once more, and this time a bolt of purple shot straight out of Her palm. Eva seemed unconcerned, and with good reason. Within milliseconds she'd raised her hand, clicking her fingers together. The laser stopped in mid-movement, fluttering down as pieces of paper to the stone floor. 

Eva leant forward to the still conscious Doctor, whispering something in his ear. He nodded, waiting a few moments before he closed his eyes once more, getting the grip on himself. Power coursed through his veins and with a little mental push from Eva, he reassumed his former position. He glanced down from where he was suspended in the air to the human woman lying dead on the floor, and it only served to make him angrier. Rose was dead. Nothing could make him more grief-ridden than he already was.

"Give it up Rebecca, you're outnumbered," the Doctor said in a voice far too distant to be one of sanity. 

"Oh, but I have far more power than you and your daughter Doctor!" She exclaimed in delight, already raising Her hand to get rid of them both in one swipe…but then froze.

"Me and my daughter weren't the only victims of your plan Rebecca…" the Doctor said correctly, and suddenly the air around them shone brightly with a spectre of colours from all over the colour chart. Different beings appeared: some human, some looking more like fairies…

These beings. She'd enslaved them all. Khthonia watched in disbelief as more and more of them manifested right before her eyes, hundreds and hundreds of powerful psychic creatures advancing towards them, all of them with only one objective: to kill their Mistress.

Eva shot her father a smile, closing her eyes and raising her hands towards him. She concentrated all of her energy into him, the other hundreds of creatures that had appeared following her lead. Every single one of them channelled their energy into the Doctor, his aura of power getting brighter and brighter with every second that passed. 

"_Rebecca…"_came the Doctor's voice inside every one of their minds, that he had not opened his mouth. _"Surrender…"_

He couldn't see anything, but he could sense where everything was. He couldn't breathe, but he didn't need to. He could feel cold tears running down his cheeks; ones he hadn't put there. He was a God. He could control light and dark, matter and mass, space and time, life and death…however he wanted. Thoughts began to flood his mind: the Time War, the Daleks, the Time Lords, all those companions he'd lost…Rose…

No. He couldn't think about that. It was taking every ounce of his energy just to keep his own desires under control. The image of her dead body burnt in his eyes, but he had to remain blind.

"_Rebecca…"_he gasped again through all their minds, _"Rebecca…"_

Everyone watched with jaws agape as the golden light got bigger and brighter with every second that passed. Khthonia screamed at him, firing bolts of energy in a whirlwind of panic but to no avail. The light encasing him seemed to just absorb the shots, and he didn't even need to move. Eventually she stopped, tears falling as she dropped to her knees infront of him, begging for forgiveness.

"Please, have mercy, have mercy on me!" she cried. "I just needed you…_needed_you. Ever since I remember, imprisoned, tested on, drugged, vivisected every other day! Do you know what it's like to suddenly wake up one morning and find your parents are gone, and you're lying in a bright white room attached to a million machines! They told me I was different, that my mind was different, and that I was a freak. I wasn't normal, and they didn't like that _one_bit. They cut into my brain, messed around with my head…I spent my life being tested on. When I finally got out I took all their records, and that's when I discovered you…"

She was almost blinking back tears, and strangely Jack felt some compassion for the woman despite everything she'd done.

"I saw the records, seen you'd been through everything I had. I thought you must be able to understand me so I hunted for you, and even when I discovered your location I just watched. I've been watching you for a long time, Doctor. You were my only solace. I watched the Time War from a distance, helped you through your grief. I saw you meet Rose, I hoped you wouldn't fall in love…I watched you meet Adam, Jack. I guided you through your regeneration; you led your life like nothing had ever been done to you. 

"I watched you fight Cassandra, werewolves, bats. I cried through the crash and resented your love with Rose. I saw you battle with your own future self, I screamed when you attempted suicide…and I love you," she finished, crying her eyes out. The Doctor however, showed no sympathy.

"_I don't care what happened in your past Rebecca, if you want a tale of a sad, lonely childhood I've got a million up my sleeve. You cannot justify your actions by them and I will not let this go without consequence."_

"What do you want from me?" she wept uncontrollably.

"_I want you to free my daughter, and every other unwilling psychic creature you enslaved. Let them go back to their own plain of existence to live free – none of them belong here. I can forgive you for what you did to me but not for the fury you wanted to unleash on the rest of the Universe. All you wanted was everything for yourself Rebecca, but we don't live alone in the Universe. We are all members of one body. We are responsible for each other. Let them go."_

"Y-Yes S-Sir…" she stuttered, terrified. Raising a hand she drew her fingers together to click, and suddenly the power flooding the Doctor began to level out. He managed to open his eyes to catch the woman in his vision, releasing the binds that held her slaves in this plain of reality. The power was minimal now, each of the beings shimmering out of existence and taking their power with them. Soon it was just Eva left, letting go of her channel of energy into her father and giving him a smile as he lowered once again to the floor with a golden aura still sparkling on his skin. She ran forward, hugging him tightly.

"Eva," he whispered, kissing her gently. "You have to go."

"Daddy…" she began, unsure.

"No," he said sternly, "go, now. You belong there. Thank you for everything, Eva. I'm so proud of you. I love you."

Tears fell down her cheeks as she got up onto two feet, just taking a moment to stare at him before turning and beginning to walk away. The crowd watched as the golden light surrounding her got brighter and brighter, and it eventually swallowed her and disappeared.

Silence ensued as the Doctor turned his head to look back at Rose, dead on the floor where'd he'd left her. Getting onto his feet as his golden aura took away the pain he reached Rose, suddenly not caring for the surrounding crowd as he dropped back down to his knees beside her, brushing back the hair from her eyes and kissing her softly on the lips.

"Rose…" he murmured, feeling his breath catching in his throat. He couldn't stop the sudden explosion of tears from behind his eyes and was glad when Sarah-Jane came up beside him and drew him into a comforting hug, allowing him to sob softly into her.

"You_really_ loved her."

The voice had an element of surprise in it, and a twinge of jealously. The Doctor didn't even bother acknowledging the woman who'd spoken them.

"I'm sorry," she carried on, moving towards them now, "I'm so sorry."

"Don't you think you've done enough damage Khthonia?" Sarah snapped back, feeling the Doctor's shudders of sobbing beneath her grip.

"That's not my name," she said with a sigh, "my name's Rebecca Moore. I'm a thirty-one-year-old human woman with one child, and I'm going to fix this mess."

Raising her hands for what would be the last time, she placed them on Rose's head. She gave the Doctor a quick glance and a smile.

"A life for a life, that's fair isn't it?"

The Doctor's eyes widened, suddenly torn between his natural instinct and his love for Rose. "But…"

"All she needs is life essence. I can be that essence." She forced a laugh. "Told you one day you'd love me; I'll always be a part of Rose now." She closed her eyes and concentrated, focusing every ounce of herself into Rose. With another shine of blinding purple light Rebecca's body fell to the floor dead as Rose suddenly gasped in air, flying up to sitting position and grabbing onto the Doctor infront of her.

"Doctor!" she gasped, pulling him into a tight hug with Sarah. "Oh God…please don't ever let me go back there…"

"I promise," the Doctor whispered, kissing her head as he stroked her hair carefully. The feelings coursing through him now were indescribable, euphoria mixed with relief and love, all washing through him like a refreshing drink on a hot summer's day. "You're safe."

"I think this is yours," came a sudden voice from above, and they all looked up to see an unhypnotised Mickey Smith standing next to the three with the baby girl held in his arms. He gave her to the Doctor. "Is she…?"

The Doctor quickly checked her over before shaking his head. "No. She's still alive, but she's empty. Her soul vacated her. She's no one anymore, just a shell. She shouldn't even exist. She has no soul; nothing to be guided by."

"That could change."

Everyone swung around to see Eva sitting on the floor next to Khthonia's dead body, tired out.

"Eva," the Doctor breathed. "You should be in your plain of reality."

She sniffed. "I want to stay here with you and mummy."

"But you can't stay here," Rose said, shaking her head. "You're just a soul."

"But she's soulless," Eva pointed out, entirely correctly as she moved towards the girl in the Doctor's arms. "I could be her soul; it's all she needs."

"Zoë," the Doctor suddenly said from out of the blue, turning to his past self. The Ninth Doctor nodded, understanding.

"It seems likely."

Gwen frowned. "What's Zoë got to do with it?"

"_This_is Zoë," the Doctor replied simply. "Erida is Zoë, and Zoë is…" – he shot the girl a smile as she stepped forward – "…Eva."

"This is mental," Owen stated. "This is fantasy!"

"It's reality," the Doctor replied. "But still, I'm not sure what I believe anymore. I used to think I could understand events, find a scientific justification for it. I just guess things can't stick to my rules." The Doctor looked back up to Eva. "Eva, sweetheart, thank you for everything. I'll always take care of you."

She nodded, smiling as she closed her eyes and raised her hands towards the girl in her father's arms. There was another flash of light and suddenly Eva had disappeared, but now the baby in the Doctor's arms was crying her eyes out. He shushed her, holding her out for Rose to take as he felt the pain starting to mount in his broken limbs. The golden aura was dissipating now and with it the pain came back, so the Doctor let Sarah pull him back to lean against her.

"Just gonna pass out for a while," he informed them, before closing his eyes and falling limp as the last of the golden energy disappeared from around him. There was silence for a few moments as finally everyone let out a relieved breath, the fight finally over.

Then there it was, the sound of TARDIS materialising into existence. Wind blew and hair ruffled throughout it's a arrival, before finally Rory opened the door and stuck his head out. He frowned.

"Awww, I missed _everything!"_

* * *

**A/N: **Yayness. Wonder how long I can keep this chapter preview stuff going?_  
_

_Chapter 45 – Unnamed_

_Jack wandered through the far door and suddenly Rory was off again, launching himself onto the ex-Time Agent and almost knocking him clean off of his feet. _

"_Whoa kiddo, have you grown since we last met?" Jack gave the mini-Time Lord a wink. Rory grinned, sticking out his chest proudly. _

"_I'm three foot two!" he declared, beaming from ear to ear._

Of course it's not finished yet! How dare you suggest such a thing:P_  
_


	45. The Aftermath

**A/N: **Check me out! I'm speed writing! Okay, so I KNOW I didn't really reply to reviews last chapter 'cause I'm a nunce, but I really wanted this finished before series four and it airs on 5th April so I'm gonna get everything done! Only thing really preventing me is something that goes by the name of 'coursework'. Which maybe I'll get around to doing in a bit. 

OMG! I had a dream last night about Voyage Of The Damned, but it had Rose and Mickey in it! And the Doctor had a full on fight with the evil guy, then Mickey walked into a light, then the Doctor and Rose were like honoured guests and they were just about to walk onto the stage and I woke up! So I thought "NO!! MUST GET BACK TO SLEEP!" and I managed to get a little bit more but only enough to see them walk onto the stage :P

...Rant over. 

* * *

Chapter 45 – The Aftermath

They arrived back on the Powell Estate, and never before had Jackie been so please to see that blue box on the concrete. She, Rose and the Time Children practically flew from the flat to the TARDIS, Rory bursting in through the doors and running to his mother, hugging her leg tightly. 

"Where's daddy? Can I see daddy?"

Rose shook her head, dropping to her knees and brushing back his hair. "No, sweetheart. Daddy's tired and needs to sleep for a bit. You can see him soon, okay?" 

Rory looked crestfallen, but nodded. Jack wandered through the far door and suddenly Rory was off again, launching himself onto the ex-Time Agent and almost knocking him clean off of his feet. 

"Whoa kiddo, have you grown since we last met?" Jack gave the mini-Time Lord a wink. Rory grinned, sticking out his chest proudly. 

"I'm three foot two!" he declared, beaming from ear to ear. 

"Wow!" Jack exclaimed, "you'll be as tall as your old Uncle Jack soon."

"How long were we away?" Rose asked her mother in an undertone as her past self crossed the TARDIS to meet the Ninth Doctor on the other side.

"Around a month. How is 'e?"

Rose Sigma-Tyler just turned away.

* * *

That night Rose was watching Owen warily from where she sat next to the Doctor, who was still comatose. Owen was frowning, shaking his head and occasionally turning to speak in low, uninterpretable tones to Jack whilst holding up a few x-rays and pieces of printed-paper. She let her eyes drop to the Doctor, now in a neck brace with about a million intravenous solutions pumping into his body. Temporary bandages were wrapped around the most obvious of the injuries that even Rose could see; broken legs, broken wrist, fractured arm…

So far she, Jack, Jill, Sarah-Jane and Owen had been the only ones to see the full extent of the damage Khthonia had done to him. Everyone else had either just underestimated the situation or made their excuses, all uncomfortable with seeing the injuries. Even Rose's mother had made excuses and kept away from the TARDIS Infirmary, keeping Howard, little Rory, Lottie and the two Zoës close. 

The Ninth Doctor had always been uncomfortable being involved with these events, accepting the company of the older Rory and his Rose to confer together in their own TARDIS. He and Rose were still trying accept the idea they were going to be parents to this boy, never mind the fact there were more like him.

Jack had sent Gwen and Tosh back to Cardiff to help out Ianto, though he hadn't stated why. Jill had also sent the UNIT members back to Headquarters, informing them she'd be back to do the paperwork as soon as she was sure the Doctor would make a full recovery. She simply declared it was her duty to by her father's memory.

Rose ripped herself out of her thought trail, looking back up at Owen and Jack in conference. After what seemed like an age Jack finally came over to her, paper in one hand and a resigned look on his face. Owen observed discreetly from a distance, she noticed, which put her on edge at once.

"Rose…" Jack began, shaking his head. "We don't have the capability to fix this. Owen doesn't even know where to start." He raised the piece of paper he held up to her, but Rose could only manage a glance down the list of injuries he'd acquired before she had to look away. "Seriously Rose, one puff of wind and he'll fall to pieces."

"So you're sayin'…you can't do anythin'…" Rose surmised, looking back at the Doctor. "Will he wake up again? The truth, please," she added on the end.

"If he does I doubt he'd be able to do much except blink at you - _if_ he recognises your face," Owen said straight as he advanced towards them. "There's no telling what extent of brain damage he has 'cause of the length of time he's been in a coma. We're talking major concussion here. His skull's cracked and the broken fragments could inflict more damage on his brain, which has already been bruised. Granted I know he's alien and all, but that's only his head. I can't see anything or anyone surviving this... except maybe Jack," he tacked onto the end, giving a shrug. 

Rose felt tears prickling at the side of her eyes as she reached up to her husband's face, brushing back the hair from his face carefully. 

Jack moved in, holding her close in support. "I'm sorry Rose, he has to regenerate this time," he whispered into her ear. 

Seconds trickled by as Rose just cried for her husband, about to die and become someone totally different to the man she knew and loved once more. She finally looked up to his impassive facial features, leaning forward out of Jack's embrace and kissing a bruised cheek. Out of the corner of her eye she could see Owen already wandering towards them with a needle in one hand and a grave expression on his face; ready to kill her Doctor. He stopped on the other side of the Doctor, just hovering for a minute as if waiting for a cue. Finally after a few moments, Rose nodded for the procedure to go ahead.

"D'you wanna to switch off the machines?" he asked, and silently Jack thanked him for not dwelling and joking about the situation. 

She instantly shook her head, and Jack retook her into his arms. 

"Jack, can you do it?" she requested into his chest, and Jack nodded affirmation, kissing her on the forehead. He looked up to the ceilings, addressing the TARDIS:

"TARDIS, can you turn off the machines please?" he asked gently, and alarmingly for a moment the Infirmary shuddered, as if the TARDIS was crying too. She whined quietly, a few silent seconds passing before the machines surrounding the Doctor finally fell silent around them. The Doctor began to breathe slowly but heavily on his own, sounding as if there were something trapped in his throat. 

Owen raised the final executor – the needle full of deathly substance – and lowered it towards the Time Lord's arm.

"Wait!" Rose suddenly jumped up onto her feet, taking Owen and Jack completely by surprise as the TARDIS lurched the machines into life once more. "Our children. They have to see him before he changes." 

"Rose…" Jack began and got to his feet, sounding a little hesitant as he looked down at the living mess the Doctor had become. 

"No, Jack," Rose cut in smoothly. "We can't hide them forever. They have to know what bein' a Time Lord's about; the risks that we live with. I know Lottie and Zoë are too young, but Rory's growin' up so fast. He needs to know this."

Jack gave a small smile, and nodded. "You're right. Just let me and Owen get him presentable for them."

She nodded back. "Thanks, Jack."

* * *

"Rory, wake up sweetheart," Rose said to the boy gently, kissing him on the forehead. He opened his golden eyes and looked up at her blearily from underneath a mess of chaotic bed hair. "Wake up."

"Mummy?" he asked, pushing himself up from under the duvet. "S'all dark."

"Yeah, I know it's late but I need you to be a good boy now, okay?" She distinctly heard the sound of someone coming up and standing in the doorway behind her. "Get your blanket, we have to go to the Infirmary."

"Where daddy is?" 

She nodded. "Yes, we have to go see daddy right now."

"Rose?" the stranger spoke – the Ninth Doctor. She ignored him for the moment, leading her son across from his bed to the door where the old Doctor lingered.

"Can you take him wait outside the Infirmary door?" it wasn't a question. He looked puzzled. 

"Rose, wha-"

"Never mind that," Rose cut in, rather rudely. "We don't have time for this. Just do it."

He remained still for a moment, before finally nodding and taking the tired boy's hand as he led him along the corridor. Rose crossed to the Nursery, but was met by a hullabaloo as she entered.

"Rose!" Sarah sounded relieved, rocking Zoë back and forth in her arms but seemingly not having the desired effect as she was just crying more and more. Jill was attempting to calm Lottie down, who was screaming just as loudly whilst Jackie mothered the other screaming Zoë. "It's the Zoës, they won't stop crying and it's keeping Lottie up…"

"I think she knows…" Rose said with a sigh. "We have to go to the Infirmary."

"But isn't that where…" 

Rose nodded. "We need to get there quick."

"Is Rory going too?" Sarah asked as she, Jackie and Jill followed Rose out of the doorway.

"Yes," she answered shortly.

"Are you sure that's wise?" came the next question from Jill. "I mean, last time I saw the Doctor he wasn't exactly…"

"I know." She held up a hand to stop them as they reached the Infirmary door, where the Ninth Doctor and Rory were already waiting. Jack was there too, kneeling to Rory's height. They looked up as Rose approached.

"Rose," Jack said, gesturing with his head through the Infirmary door. "Ready."

She bent down, taking Rory into her arms as he yawned widely. "Okay, let's go." She led the crowd into the Infirmary; turning to close the door behind her to find the leather-clad Doctor hadn't moved to go in.

"Are you comin'?"

He shook his head and turned away. Shrugging, Rose closed the door and moved over to the bed, noticing how Jack and Owen had pulled the cover up to hide the worst cuts and bruises, and how a few more bandages were wrapped around his head and displaced jaw to make everything look a bit more natural. 

"Daddy?" Rory said tiredly, turning around in his mother's arms. "Mummy, is daddy dead?"

"No, sweetheart…" Rose began slowly, holding the boy closer. "But the evil woman hurt him badly."

"He's broked?" Rory asked, trying to pull away from Rose towards his father. "He's broked and you can't fix him." 

Rose didn't need – or want – to answer that one. She set him down onto the bed and he instantly crawled over to the older Time Lord, lifting his unbroken arm and hugging it in both arms.

"He's going to regenerate," Jack carried on, seeing Rose on the verge of a breakdown. "Just like you did."

"No, he's not," Rory suddenly said, taking everyone by surprise. "He can't."

"What d'you mean he can't?" Owen asked quickly. "Is that broken too?"

"No stoopid," he answered rudely, "he can't, 'cause I just regerminated and s'not fair for the angels 'cause they're already busy making little peoples for daddy to put in mummy's belly."

Jack and Rose exchanged a glance. "Rory…" Jack began, but the boy suddenly screamed and bounced up and down on the mattress clinging tightly to his father's arm.

"I DON'T WANT HIM TO CHANGE!" he screamed, tears pouring down his face. "Daddy can fix _you_ so why can't _you_fix_him?!_I hate you!" he screamed, letting go of the Doctor's arm and jumping off of the bed, running towards the door. He reached it just in time for it to open, and there was the Ninth Doctor coming in the other way. Rory instantly grabbed his leg into a hug and held on tight.

"They're gonna kill you daddy, don't let 'em don't let 'em!" he said at the speed of light, and the Ninth Doctor looked up to meet Rose's gaze. Her eyes swiftly disconnected.

"You're gonna force him to regenerate," he surmised, panning around the room at Jack and Owen. "Is it _really_that bad?"

Owen stepped forward bearing the list of injuries the Tenth Doctor had acquired and held it out to the Northern man. He took it and gave it a glance.

"There's just too damn much to treat," Owen carried on, positive that he'd get the Ninth Doctor's support on this. "I ain't got the foggiest idea where to start."

"Well, if I were you I'd start at the ribs. By the looks of his breathing I'd say we've got a break and it's punctured and collapsed a lung. You'll need to reinflate that," the Doctor said after a moment's pause. "Then I'd move to the head injury before going onto the simple double fracture of the left fibula and tibia because according to these scans there's a massive amount of internal bleeding suggesting that a blood vessel's been severed…"

"I know but…"

"Then the compound fracture of the right tibia and fibula since it's prone to infection leading to septicaemia, before treating the compression of the vertebrae; by the location and severity of this any possible paralysis will be only temporary and possibilities of Osteomyelitis can be minimised…"

"I can't do it on my own!"

The Ninth Doctor regarded Owen carefully. "Then take him to hospital. Or let me do it. I'm not completely useless. I _do _know a bit about Time Lord lungs and brains." 

Rose was staring at him with a sense of awe. "Are you gonna make him better?"

"Why not?" The Ninth Doctor turned towards the woman with arms folded. "Seems pointless to turn to euthanasia now when he could heal so easily."

A huge, happy grin spread onto her face as she bounded over to him, enveloping him in a huge bear hug, being careful not to crush her son in the process.

"Thank you!" she gasped. The Ninth Doctor looked startled for a moment, a few seconds passing before he slowly reached around and returned the hug.


	46. The Lurve Doctor

**A/N: **Coo, this is a bloody long chapter. Longest yet. Just want it out the way, really...

And wow, who saw The Friday Night Project last night? :D Fanfiiiiiiiic! I was just sitting there wincing...

Oh, and someone accused that of being MY house! Neveeeeeeer...must be one of yours.

* * *

Chapter 46 – The Lurve Doctor

The Doctor woke up, and instantly his head began to hurt. Also his jaw, chest, left arm…

Okay, to name every single part of his body that hurt, felt numb or just generally didn't feel _normal _would take him three centuries over, so he settled just for a long low-pitched groan through his immobilised jaw. Daringly, he flickered open his eyes and found himself staring at a bright white ceiling.

He wanted to bend forward a little to see why his left leg seemed to be hanging in the air, but movement was impossible with the combination of both pain and a neck brace. He could move neither of his arms for the pain and even breathing was agonising. He groaned again, wondering if he would actually be able to blink without dying of pain.

"Doctor?!" a voice suddenly exclaimed from his right, but even though he couldn't turn his head he recognised the voice of Jackie Tyler instantly. Seconds later her face popped into view, frowning down at him from above. "Wait, I know how this works. That gorgeous Jack bloke said it'd be easier for us all if I made a list of all the questions you're gonna wanna ask and tell you everythin' when ya woke up, since ya can't talk coz your jaw's been wired together or somethin'. So I reckon I got 'em all." She held up a notepad into his view, waving it around before flipping it open and reading off of the aforementioned list:

"Alright, 'where am I': you're in the TARDIS Infirmary. 'Where's Rose': she's catchin' up on some sleep…you've 'ad 'her worried _sick, _y'know, she _wouldn't _leave you for anythin'. Can't think why." The Doctor scowled at her. "Okay, 'who am I'…" she carried on, completely missing his death glare, "…well that one was kinda worryin' 'cause if you don't remember then we've got problems…" She paused for a moment, staring down at him thoughtfully. "Well, do you?"

He stared at her, disbelief filling him. She actually expected him to answer in a sensical way? He just grunted, waving the almost only functional part of his body – right hand – around. He hoped she could understand what he meant as he shaped his hand into the grip of a pen, pretending to scribbled words on the cover. She stared blankly for a few moments.

"Eh?"

He groaned in agitation, readjusting his imaginary grip and trying once again to make her understand. She seemed even more confused than before.

"You want a scratchcard?" she concluded, perplexed.

The Doctor sighed, deciding waking up was too much of an effort to bother with at the moment. He gave Jackie a quick farewell wave before closing his eyes and dropping back to sleep.

* * *

When he next woke up he could hear lots of voices.

He opened his eyes once again, blurry shapes swimming into faces of people he recognised. One turned, Rose, and gave him a broad smile.

"Hey! How you doin'?" she asked, but the realised her mistake as he saw both Jack and Mickey also turn. "Oh, sorry," she said with a laugh, hand over mouth. "My bad." She leant forward and pecked a kiss to his forehead; afraid if she did so in any other place she'd hurt him. As she drew back he began to motion for a pen and paper again, hoping the woman he'd married was a tad more intelligent than her mother. Rose watched him for a moment, frowning. "Pen and paper?" she ventured. Relief flooded through him and he gave a thumb up.

Seconds later a pen was in his grip with a notepad beneath his hand. He began to write.

**HI**

She smiled. "Hi," she replied, taking a seat by the bed.

**ALL OK? **He abbreviated the sentence, optimistic she'd understand.

She nodded, as did Jack and Mickey. "We're all fine."

**TIME ASLEEP?**

"A few days or so since the operation."

**SORRY**

She seemed puzzled. "What for?"

**WORRY**

He flinched as she raised her hand with agitation, as though she were going to hit him. "God you stupid alien, you've just come out of a three day coma and you're apologisin' for makin' me worried?"

**YES**

"God, you're even more irritatin' when you can't talk than when you can!" She rolled her eyes.

"Mummy!" he suddenly heard Rory's voice loud and clear from outside the door. It burst open in an almighty crash, the Doctor flinching as it ate away at his pounding headache. "Mummy can I-"

"Shush honey," Rose said quickly as the boy stopped dead in his tracks, looking guilty. "Be quiet for daddy, he's tired."

"How can he be _tired?" _Rory moaned loudly as Jackie entered behind him. "He's beened sleeping for ages!" He shoved his hands into his pockets, just about stopping himself from jogging over to the bed as his mother shot him a warning look. He reached the bed and grinned up at his father.

"Mummy says you can't talk so _I'll _make up the noise for you!" Rory beamed, stretching on tiptoes to get his nose over the side. He reached up to the Doctor's hand and clung onto it. "Uncle Jack showed me this book thingy today on Earth old stuff and it said 'bout these people called E-gypsy-tians and they all dressed weird and did this mummy thing to their kings and stuff and _you _look like one!"

"Why don't you tell him what else you learnt whilst he was sleepin', sweetheart?" Jackie prompted. Rory nodded enthusiastically.

"Algebra! It's like where you say letters 'stead of numbers and stuff, it's easy!"

"He got through the entire 300 page question book in ten minutes," Jack chipped in from the side.

"Then I learned 'bout turds!"

"Surds…" Rose corrected gently with a grin, lowering to kneel next to Rory as he sniffed and shrugged.

"Whatever."

"You've been devouring the library, haven't you?" Sarah-Jane was next to arrive, accompanied by Jill. There was a mass crowd of people now. Rory nodded back to his aunt.

"Daddy I can't read the ones in Gallifreyan, can you teach me?"

The Doctor squeezed Rory's hand to signify affirmation, and he beamed.

"Okay, let's leave your daddy in peace now," Jackie said and moved forward, picking up the child into both arms. "He's tired and needs to rest."

"Mmmkay, night-night daddy," Rory mumbled into Jackie's shoulder, giving his father a wave. Rose pulled herself to full height, leaning forward and kissing her husband in farewell as the others filtered out the door behind her.

"Get better soon. Love you," she whispered, before turning and slipping out the door.

Only Jill remained now, standing in the doorway and scratching her head, as if deep in thought. The Doctor watched her for a moment, before scribbling something down onto the notepad and holding it in the air. He hummed to get her attention and she turned, catching what he'd written.

**TALK?**

She considered this for a moment before frowning. "But how can we talk? You can't really…"

He scribbled something down again before holding it up once more in the air.

**YOU TALK, I LISTEN**

With a small sigh she took the available seat next to him, head in the clouds.

"It's Jack," she breathed, as if relieved to get it out at last, "I…well, I'm not really sure but…" She paused, summoning up the courage to say the words. "I think I _like _him." She stopped, not really sure where to go with it.

**WHY?**

"Well…it's strange. I've always been kind of independent; looking out for myself. I constantly wanted to be just like my father when I was young. Just because I was a girl I wouldn't let boys be better than me. I didn't need special permits or protection just because of my gender. But Jack…he…he just makes me feel…safe. Comforted. Which is strange because no one's ever made me feel that way before. I've never needed it, but it feels good…"

**TELL HIM?**

She half-smiled. "That's easy for you to say. He doesn't like me. He'd only laugh at me – which normally I wouldn't care about, but with Jack I feel sort of fragile. He's intelligent, experienced, muscular, handsome and just…everything I've ever needed. Maybe I should just forget it."

**DON'T**

"Don't?" she repeated. "Don't forget it? But if it's hopeless I should just leave it…"

He underlined his last word. **DON'T**

"Okay." She openly laughed, her smile lighting up her usually stone-straight face. How could Jack possibly not like a woman like this? "I won't. Just…please don't say anything to Jack?"

**PROMISE**

She got up out of the chair and pecked a grateful kiss on his cheek. "Thank you."

* * *

It was only really a matter of time the Doctor thought until Jack came along and opened his heart to him. He was by no means wrong. The next morning he awoke to see Jack sitting next to him, looking a little agitated.

**TALK?**

Jack stared at him. "But how can you talk if…"

The Doctor rolled his eyes and scribbled down the exact phrase he'd given Jill.

**YOU TALK, I LISTEN**

Jack pulled back, leaning against his chair.

"It's Jill," he began, and the Doctor managed to nod. "I really love her but I don't know what to do."

**PROBLEM?**

"The problem is she doesn't like me," Jack answered, "everytime I come within five metres of her she shoots me a death glare. I just don't know what to do."

**TELL HER**

Jack stared at him, dumbfounded. "Were you even just listenin' to what I said? She doesn't like me!"

**MIGHT DO**

"Easy for you to say," Jack said with a smile. "If I can't get _you_ I'll go for the next best thing. Single!" He winked at the Doctor before turning and disappearing out the door. The Doctor sighed heavily, suddenly bored. He didn't like being stuck in one place. It really was incredibly tedious, not to mention the fact he couldn't move an inch. He was never going to get tortured again if it resulted in this. He closed his eyes to let his imagination try and entertain him. But instead, all he could think was:

"_Nine hundred and thirty thousand nine hundred and sixty eight bottles of beer on the wall, Nine hundred and thirty thousand nine hundred and sixty eight bottles of beer…"_

* * *

_"Two hundred and nine thousand and twenty two bottles of beer on the wall, __two hundred and nine thousand and twenty two bottles of beer__…"_

Time passed slowly and by the end of ten days he was convinced he'd truly gone mad. Rose easily visited him the most, giving him updates on what was happening on the ship that he couldn't see. Next was Rory, who despite having been ordered he wasn't allowed to go in without an adult in case the Doctor was sleeping sneaked in anyway, for which the Doctor was grateful of the company. Jack and Jill kept rambling on about their secret love for each other to him and he was getting slightly fed up with them both. Sarah also visited every so often with the older Rory, and the only time he saw his baby girls was the occasional times when Jackie dared to strive into the Infirmary, usually dragged by her daughter.

He hadn't seen his Ninth self and his Rose since he'd woken up, determining that he was probably uncomfortable with the whole thing. He couldn't really blame him.

"Daddy!" a voice suddenly interrupted his thought trail and he turned his head towards little Rory, glad the neck brace had been removed in the past few days. "Hi!" the boy exclaimed, running and climbing tactfully onto the bed, sitting crossed leg on the duvet. "Mummy says you're gonna be able to talk again today!" He raised his eyebrows at the boy, somehow the prospect of moving his jaw a distant dream. Rory beamed back at him, moving to prod the foam cast around his right leg. "And this," he carried on, before leaning forward to tap his left leg that was in traction. "And this…"

"Alright Rory, leave him alone kiddo," Jack's voice came next, strolling towards them both. "Don't get his hopes up, Owen needs to check he's healin' well first."

"But he's better!"

"Maybe."

Rory stared at him. "But maybe means no!"

Jack laughed, taking the boy into both arms and lifting him off of the bed, setting him down on the floor whilst Owen crossed from the doorway to the bed. "Not necessarily, y'know."

"But when granny says maybe she means no!"

"Well that's just granny, isn't it?" Jack answered with his smile, giving the boy a hug. Rory watched with beady eyes from over Jack's shoulder at what Owen was doing to his father, as if ready to annihilate.

"Your concussion's healing well," Owen commented as he shone a light into the Doctor eyes, moving around and feeling along his broken arm, "fracture's coming right along. Jaw's nicely reset. I reckon it's time to take it off."

* * *

The Doctor jerked awake.

His eyes shot open and he blinked a few times, focusing his vision on the face above him. It was Rose. She was beaming down at him.

"Say hi then!"

He blinked a few more times, dazed. He pushed himself up with his better arm to sit up, before tracing his fingers over his drop-jaw for a moment. He clacked his teeth together a few times, his tongue sticking out and waving as if testing the air.

"Eeerrrgghh," he said, still trying to get used to the idea of it.

She laughed and leant forward, taking his face into both hands and getting her tongue straight down his throat.

"I'd forgotten how good you taste," she breathed as she pulled away, hand venturing across his chest and slipping inside his shirt.

"Durr?" he managed to say, hiccupping slightly as her hand strived downwards.

"Oi you two," came Jack's loud voice from across the room, "either let me in or save it for later."

The Doctor flushed red and Rose just grinned cheekily, tongue between teeth. Jack appeared behind her, giving a wave to the Doctor. "How's the patient?"

"Hasn't even said hi yet," Rose protested.

"…Y…yie…h…hi," he managed to get out, finding it hard to get around the words after all the time he'd been unable to speak. "Hi. H…how are eh-y…you?"

She almost slapped him. "Oh come on, is that all you can say?"

He grinned at her, leaning forward and taking her cheek into hand, kissing her gently on the lips. "Miss m-me?" he asked as he drew away.

She nodded and laughed, but suddenly stopped as he threw the covers off of him and swung his still healing legs over the side, which were now devoid of their special casts and were just simply bandaged.

"I want to walk," he stated simply, bracing himself. It had been a fair amount of time since he'd felt the ground beneath his feet.

"But you can't yet…" Rose began, but she could hardly argue against him. She moved forward, ready to support him. He shot her an 'I'll-be-okay' look, though Rose wasn't buying any of it. With a grunt and a push he was standing – if but a little precariously – on two feet. Minimal pain shot up his legs as he clung tightly onto the bed, trying to pluck up the courage to put one foot infront of the other and move.

"Blimey it's like being a toddler again," the Doctor breathed as he pushed himself solely onto two feet, wobbling for a moment before managing to stay still. He closed his eyes, concentrating on the task before him with determination to accomplish it. He raised his right foot, and promptly fell over sideways.

"Whoa!" Jack yelled, running forward to support him with Rose on the Doctor's other side holding him up. "Are you sure you're ready for this?"

The Doctor laughed hysterically. "'Course not!"

Jack raised an eyebrow. "Then why are you doin' it?"

"I need to see a few people," the Doctor replied simply. "Where is everyone?"

"At this time they'd be in the leisure room watchin' The X Factor or somethin'," Rose said after a glance as the clock on the wall.

"Then allons-y," the Doctor said with a grin, making to step forward.

* * *

It took them no less than twenty minutes to get to the leisure room. The Doctor was even managing to get the hang of walking again as they passed through the doorway. Everyone looked up on their entry, smiling at the sight. Jack and Rose obediently let go of him and he limped towards the settee Jackie was currently occupying, dropping down with a sense of underlying relief to sit next to her. She leant forward and hugged him firmly, kissing his forehead like he was her son coming back from his first day at school. Jill quickly slipped a stool infront of him and lifted his legs to rest on it. He shot her a smile of gratitude.

"Daddy!" came a sudden shriek, and the Doctor suddenly found Rory had made his way onto his lap beaming from ear to ear. "Daddy you're all better!" Rory sat down onto his lap, snuggling into his father's embrace.

"Yep, almost as good as new," the Doctor replied with a grin as he looked back up at the crowd, attention diverted from The X Factor to him. "Thanks, all of you for helping me through this. But I need to say a few things to some people first."

He turned to Jill sat on the floor by his feet, one hand raising and pointing at Jack lingering behind the sofa. She paled. "You love him, and he loves you. Neither of you try and deny it because all I've been getting these past few weeks from you two is 'oh they don't like me' and 'but they'll break my heart' over and over again. Grow up! Come on. Give each other a kiss." They both looked guiltily around the room – anything to avoid each other's gaze. "Do it! Do it!!"

Finally they caught each other's gaze, nervously moving towards each other like teenagers in their first kiss. Finally after a few more moments of silence their lips met, and together they shared their first kiss.

The Doctor grinned, meeting Rose's astounded gaze.

"Just call me the Lurve Doctor…!"


	47. Damn That Dénouement

**A/N: **And so we plough on...god, so nearly there! Despite it being near the end and all I still can't tell you how many more chapters are left. I'm hoping that it'll all tie-in nicely and the last chapter posted on Saturday 5th April (SQUUUUUUUUUUUUEEEE!!) but...haha...AS IF!! :P

Right, time to tie up several affairs. The two Doctors, the Doctor and Mickey and the case of the double Zoes. Then It's the past Doctor and Rose, future Rory, then some kind of fluffy ending.

Oh, you know how I said at the start the Rambles would only be a trilogy? I started doing that psychopath thing where I start getting ideas for the NEXT ONE!! AGGHH!! (Runs around screaming) ...But more on that at the end, I think.

* * *

Chapter 47 – Damn That Dénouement

"Please," the Tenth Doctor's Rose begged, holding little Lottie in her arms. "Just talk to him."

"No," the Ninth Doctor answered straight, folding his arms. "I've done my part. I stitched him back together. I don't have to play nurse aswell."

"If I didn't know better I'd say you were scared of him," Rose replied airily. The Ninth Doctor stared at her, eyes narrowing.

"Why the hell would I be afraid of myself?"

"Try askin' yourself that," she retorted, pausing for a moment before holding out her arms containing Lottie. "Take her. Go and see him."

"Doctor…" the Ninth Doctor's Rose began, poking him in the arm. "Please. Go and see him."

The Doctor sighed, glancing between the two mirror matching Roses.

"Fine." He reached out to take the baby into his arms, holding her gently. This was _his _daughter. He couldn't handle this right now. He'd only just thrown off the memories of the War, he couldn't…

Forcing himself to push down the grief welling inside of him he gave one last look to the Roses, before turning and slipping through the door the Infirmary.

He almost turned and walked back out again.

Even just standing there in the TARDIS Infirmary and looking down at his older self brought chills to his spine. There he was, monitors blaring out all manners of sounds from where he lay sleeping in the bed. Owen had insisted on a day or so of complete rest and recuperation for his own natural healing abilities to have any kind of effect. But all the same, the Ninth Doctor was staring at himself. One day he'd be in the same position. He went cold. He didn't have to do this. This was just stupid, this was…

His feet were walking him to the body in the bed.

He could still feel the bundle of a baby in his arms so he quickly deposited her on the neighbouring bed, somehow feeling better now the weight was off of him. He arrived at the foot of the bed and picked up the chart, scanning through the statistics Owen had recorded. His right heart was beating at normal rate now, his blood pressure levelling out. They had all definitely worked their healing magic. The surgery held up well.

"Regeneration number seven might have been a little easier," he voiced aloud.

"Regeneration nine was a little worse."

The Doctor turned his blue eyes up to the man in the bed, not really surprised yet not really expecting such a voice. He met deep brown eyes staring back at him contentedly; face seemingly expressionless for the moment.

"Was it a good death?" the Doctor standing at the foot of the bed suddenly asked, and the Tenth pursed his lips, undecided.

"It was worth it."

"What happened?"

"Rose absorbed the time vortex," he said simply to his past self. "Looked into the heart of the TARDIS and went back to save you…us," he quickly corrected. "I had to take it out of her."

The younger Doctor stared at him, seemingly shocked by his words. "The vortex? She took the vortex? But…"

"She could have done so much. Overthrown the Universe. Warped everyone's minds to obey her every command. Killed people, resurrected people, rearranged space-time itself. The entire cosmos was putty in her hands…and she used it to save us."

"So human," the northern man said, his loony grin spreading over his face.

"So human," the latest Doctor reiterated, also spreading his unique grin. "Thank you."

The leather-clad Doctor turned; heading to his right and strutting over to the Infirmary bed he'd left the baby girl on and picking her up gently. Turning back around, he lowered the bundle of blankets down to the Tenth Doctor still in the bed.

"I believe this belongs to you."

The Doctor took the proffered baby from his predecessor with his good arm, shushing her gently before she had a chance to cry. He watched his other self as he turned to the door and made to leave – before suddenly stopping dead in his tracks and spinning back around, a frown now in place.

"I just wanna know one thing. Are you happy?"

The Tenth Doctor paused for a moment.

"I'm the happiest we've ever been in nine hundred and two years."

He watched his predecessor as he swiftly turned, walking back out the Infirmary door without another word.

* * *

The TARDIS almost made a 'squee'ing sound as the Doctor half-strolled, half-limped into the console room. He grinned at her, reaching out to stroke her affectionately.

"Heya old girl," he said, "missed you." The panel he was touching glowed warmly beneath his palm. Evidently she felt the same. "I know you had a part in it somewhere so thank you."

He tapped lightly as the controls, giving himself a quick body scan to check himself how he was mending. His left arm was still in a precautionary sling, as Owen didn't trust him not do something that would set back his recovery. Like any doctor, Owen moaned at his patients for doing something ridiculous whilst they were still trying to mend. The Doctor still had bandaged ribs and legs, which were now covered by his shiny new blue suit he'd found whilst giving the Wardrobe its every 100 year clean out (more out of boredom than anything) and liked it, so now he wore it aswell as the pinstripe. It had been a whole two weeks since they'd got back from the castle and his injuries were healing fast; with the support of everyone else and the TARDIS' extra Artron energy he knew he couldn't be in much better company.

"Hey," came a voice from the side and the Doctor turned to see Rose. He smiled at her.

"'Ello," he replied, giving a cheery wave. She strolled up to him and engulfed him in a huge hug.

"Y'know, you're invincible. They keep on trying to take you away from me but they never ever will."

The Doctor pulled back suddenly, regarding her with wise, aged eyes. "Never say 'never ever'."

"Never ever," Rose repeated, eyes sparkling in delight with her cheekiness. "Never ever, never ever, never ever, never ever, ever never, never never…"

The Doctor laughed. "Tongue twister!"

"But seriously," Rose started again, getting up onto tiptoes to peck a kiss to his lips. "You're absolutely invincible."

The Doctor paused, thinking about this for a moment. Crushed foot, been hit where it hurts, slapped by Jackie, in a bus crash, had an anaphylactic reaction, fell into a coma, had a cardiac arrest, died for twenty seconds, suffered a series of collapses, fainted from blood loss, got completely cut up, got concussed, got sedated several times, starved, dehydrated, sedated some more, drowned, cut up wrists with handcuffs, fell into another coma, slapped by Jackie, sedated by Jackie, glance shot from a bullet to the head, shot in the leg, shot through the head, died for two minutes, got chickenpox, started collapsing again, had his mind completely boiled, collapsed again, got a glance shot from a laser, nailed to a wall, collapsed again, mildly tortured, starved, dehydrated, sleep deprivation, broke both his legs, raped, majorly tortured, had psychic energy running through him to the point of explosion, collapsed and underwent life-threatening surgery.

"Don't know _what _you're talking about!" the Doctor beamed happily. Rose rolled her eyes.

"So is the adventure finally over?" she asked.

The Doctor shook his head. "Nope, we've still got the rest of the dénouement to go. One of the little Zoës have to go back to the right timeframe, my Ninth form's and Ninth Rose's memories needed to be wiped and the both of them taken back to their respective timeframe, the future Rory _also _needs to be taken forward to his correct timeframe and Rebecca needs to be buried."

"Easy done," she replied, "I'll just fetch the newest Zoë," and with that she turned out slipped out the side door. The Doctor turned back to the console and began to plot a course for the right time to drop Zoë off. He thanked the TARDIS under his breath as she purposefully flew carefully so as not to hurt her driver.

Rose came back, accompanied with Jack, Mickey, Howard and a baby Zoë. Mickey could hardly make eye contact with him the Doctor noticed as he dragged his heels in behind Jack.

"Mickey," the Doctor called, pushing himself up off the console to limp to the other man. He extended a hand for Mickey to shake.

"Doctor," he replied, if but a little hesitantly. He didn't shake the hand. He didn't feel worthy enough. "I'm…sorry for what I did…" The Doctor tried to interrupt, already shaking his head but Mickey cut right over him. "I can't really remember what 'appened but the bits I do…" he paused, shuddered. "…I beat you up pretty bad."

"It's okay," the Doctor said, shaking his head.

"But it's not okay," Mickey shot back, fully aware everyone was staring at him. "Everytime I see you now and you're limpin' or whatever I know it's my fault 'cause I did that to you."

"Mickey, it's okay, it really is," the Doctor insisted, staring at the man stood opposite him. "I can hardly even remember what went on in that cell now…"

"Yeah, 'cause of the head injuries I caused…"

"Mickey! Look at me." The Doctor grabbed him by the shoulder with his good hand, pulling Mickey to face him. "Look at me!" Mickey obliged, reluctantly meeting the Doctor's piercing gaze. "Whatever went on in that cell is nothing to me. For one thing, you were hypnotised – happens to the best of us. You didn't have a clue what you were doing. You were being made to act on your innermost feelings, and you have every reason to do that to me even when you're not hypnotised-"

"-But-"

"-Second thing, neither you nor me really remember it, so therefore it never happened to either of us. Third thing, we are going to put the past behind us and move on. I can heal, and we'll heal the memories with it. All of us. Fourth thing…" – he paused, clicking his tongue – "…my limping thing wasn't actually you so you can stop blaming yourself for that one. The important thing is that only one person died, and let's face it – it could've been a lot more. So I don't want to have to go through all this with you again, okay?"

Mickey nodded; sniffing back the tears he could feel coming on.

"Good boy." The Doctor embraced him into a one-armed hug. Mickey was careful not to crush his injuries. After a moment they pulled apart, and Mickey turned to leave back through the side door to Jackie. "Okay, allons-y, we've got a baby to drop off."

He reached into his pocket; withdrawing the note he had already written and momentarily flashed it at the others.

'_Her name's Zoë. Please look after her. One day you'll understand.'_

"That right?" he asked, and was met by nods. He reached up to his left hand in the cast and picked out the ring from the bandages, slipping it and the note inside Zoë's blankets. He replaced the ring on his finger with the second one they had used to trace him, before leading the crew out the door into the past, towards the front door of Jackie Tyler's flat.


	48. Grown Up Hugs

**A/N: **Next chapter's defo the last. I felt the end of this chapter wasn't really an ending so I could hardly cut it off there :P

* * *

Chapter 48 – Grown-Up Hugs

They laid Rebecca Moore to rest the Gallifreyan way. It was no less than she deserved for how she'd sacrificed herself to keep Rose alive. It wasn't really her fault what she'd turned out to be; at core, she was still very human. She hated hurting the Doctor – she'd said as much herself – but it was the only way she knew how to get what she wanted.

Jack kept side glancing at the Doctor throughout the ritual, unanswered questions brewing inside of him. He was slightly unsure, but the name Rebecca Moore seemed awfully familiar to him. Besides that, what had she meant by, "when you attempted suicide" to the Doctor? Jack frowned slightly as possibilities flashed through his mind. Surely not…

After the ritual Jack pulled the Doctor aside from Rose and the others, regarding him seriously. The Doctor already knew what was coming.

"Rebecca Moore, Torchwood test subject 692," the Doctor said simply. "I checked the database." The Doctor had never seen Jack go so utterly pale before. "Seems that place you own has a taste for vivisection."

"I didn't know, I swear I didn't know," Jack said quickly, clenching his fists. He was shocked, upset and angry all at the same time. "I mean, I know Torchwood One have been testin' a few things but…oh God. I didn't know. I really didn't."

"I know you didn't Jack, Torchwood One have kept it under wraps. Took a bit of hacking, even by my standards. Seems they're still out to control the world, and are willing to get it anyway they can."

"Do they still do it?"

The Doctor shrugged. "Don't know. Could be anything going on in that tower." He paused, before suddenly raising a grin. "But with you and Jill, Torchwood and UNIT working together for the first time. I'd say that's progress, wouldn't you?"

Jack nodded. "One final thing…she said you tried to commit suicide…"

"I thought I'd lost the TARDIS, Rose and Rory forever."

Jack nodded once more, understanding. "Which is why you tried to do it."

"I didn't have a clue what I was doing, Jack. I was deluded. I couldn't see a get-out clause. I would've done it if Jackie hadn't stopped me." Jack raised an eyebrow, and the Doctor shrugged. "She doesn't remember now anyway. Timelines and all that. I'm glad she doesn't, and I'm glad Rose doesn't either. It would break her heart."

* * *

"Right, have a seat, I'll make this quick," the Tenth Doctor addressed his predecessor in the Ninth's TARDIS, gesturing for his Rose to help him get off the sling for usage of both arms. "Whereabouts were you, anyway? Dickens? Slitheen? Van Stratten?"

"Slitheen," the Ninth Doctor answered, taking a seat in the bouncy chair with his Rose sitting next to him.

"In Downing Street," Rose added on the end. The Tenth Doctor grinned.

"The old days," he said as his arm was freed, and the Tenth's Rose courteously supported the bandaged limb as her Time Lord reached up to his Ninth self's head with both hands.

"You'll look after them, won't you?" the Ninth Doctor asked suddenly, looking straight into the eyes of the Tenth Doctor.

"You know I will," he replied simply.

The Ninth Doctor gave a smile, giving a side-glance to his Rose. "By the way, I love you."

He reached forward and placed his successor's hands to his temples. The Tenth Doctor grinned, closing his eyes as he entered his own self's mind; it was like creating a mini version of himself and scrambling around in someone's private space. Every mind was different. His Ninth body was messy, memories scattered everywhere with the unmistakable scaly coat of grief and anger shrouding some.

He probed around in the younger Time Lord's mind, the Ninth Doctor pushing forward the memory the Tenth Doctor had to eradicate. He took it into his hands, triggering the sleep mechanism before crushing the memory of all that had happened in the past few weeks between his palms. He felt his predecessor become limp, and opened his eyes to see himself in a deep sleep. The Tenth Doctor turned to Nine's Rose, raising a smile at her shocked facial expression.

"He's not lying, y'know," the Tenth Doctor assured her, laughing at her look of astonishment. "Ready?"

Numbly, she nodded. He placed his hands either side of her temples and dove straight into her mind, finding all of her memories organised into neat sections. Finding the right one was easy, and he repeated the process over.

He opened his eyes and drew away from Rose, catching her sleeping self now limp on his Ninth Body's shoulder. She was as beautiful as ever. He turned to his Rose still supporting his arm and suddenly kissed her gently, thankful he was back with her.

She placed his arm back in its sling, gazing up at him with those enticing brown eyes. He took her hand with his free one, pulling her towards the door of the Ninth Doctor's TARDIS. Rose afforded a glance back at their past selves, still fast asleep with her head resting on the Ninth Doctor's shoulder. So cute. She squeezed her Doctor's hand as they passed out the doors and entered their own TARDIS. Rory was staring at the console, waiting patiently.

"All done?" he asked, and the Doctor nodded.

"Just remains to take you and them back to your own timelines."

The boy nodded, regarding his father carefully for a moment. The Doctor looked up to meet his gaze, but Rory's eyes instantly snapped to the ground, uncomfortable.

"What's wrong?" the Doctor asked openly, tapping at a few buttons on the TARDIS with eyes glancing up to watch his son every so often.

"It's just…" He momentarily paused, forcing his head up to look at his father. "I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"For what I said and am going to say to you in the future. I really didn't mean it. I was just angry. I had a talk with the old you about it and I've decided I'll do what you're gonna suggest. You're right."

The Doctor grinned. "Dunno what you're talking about, but good. I'm probably right."

Rory laughed as the TARDIS sprung into action. He moved over to the screen and watched intently.

"You've linked the TARDISes?" Rory asked in bewilderment. The Doctor nodded.

"Just like linking Nintendos. Easy peasy. This way I can get you both back to your right time without jumping a year or something." He tapped a few buttons, and Rory watched the link sever with the Ninth Doctor's TARDIS as they landed back in 2005. Within an instant they were flying again, taking them and the future TARDIS to 43rd century Yechia. They landed, and the Doctor gave his son one last glance before he disappeared out the door to his waiting father. For a moment the Doctor and Rose just watched their grown-up son shamelessly cling onto his father as though he were a desperate child again, the Doctor and Rose smiling to each other before the Doctor severed the link with the future TARDIS, then dematerialised back to the Powell Estate in the correct timeframe.

The Doctor brushed back Rose's hair from her face, giving her another smile. Caught up in the moment she leant forward and kissed him for another time, the one action never getting old. They were finally back together: he was okay, and she was okay too.

"I love you," she whispered against his lips.

"Love you too." He moved his hand from her cheek to her chest, cool fingers tracing delicately over her collarbones made visible by her broad-cut top. His tongue slipped back inside her mouth, that familiar taste of honey and all things good so sweet in his mouth.

"Eww, gross!" suddenly came a voice from somewhere below and the Doctor and Rose instantly sprang apart as though they were both on fire. "Ewww!"

Rory was standing there holding his electronic toy gun in both hands, using it to hit his father's leg in order to get his attention. The Doctor winced.

"Can we play daddy?"

"Rory it's well past eight o'clock. Go to bed," Rose ordered but then stopped, checking herself. "God I sound just like my mum."

Rory beamed and stood up on tiptoes, swaying slightly with hands on hips.

"Uncle Jack said I could stay up and come find you!"

"Did he now?" the Doctor said, "well, you can go back, find Uncle Jack, and tell him that mummy and daddy are going to go and do some grown-ups hugs so he can play Armies with you instead."

Rory seemed crestfallen, but all the same gave his mother and father quick leg hugs before running off out the side door.

"I don't remember sayin' yes to grown-up hugs," Rose said thoughtfully, before they both burst into laughter and slipped their hands in each others', heading to their bedroom.

* * *

**Three weeks later…**

"Well," the Doctor began, glancing down at the clipboard for the results of Jill Lethbridge-Stewart. "I've got your results right here."

Jack took hold of his girlfriend's hand, gripping it tightly. Apparently he was even more nervous than she was. "Just tell me Doc, I don't care if it's bad."

The Doctor just watched them for a moment, jotting something down on his clipboard expertly. Jack's knuckles were now starting to turn completely white with the fear of anticipation.

"Well…" the Doctor began. "Symptoms presented are frequent headaches, backaches, nausea and fatigue. I can already tell you for next year or so it will get worse and worse," he said, and even his eyes seemed to have a cloud of regret in them as he continued to jot down on the clipboard. "It's extremely serious."

"Oh God. Is she gonna die, Doc?" Jack asked in a voice on the edge of breaking.

"Jill, I can confirm the diagnosis, and…" – he flipped the clipboard around to show the picture he'd drawn of a giant smiling baby – "…you're pregnant! Congratulations!"

They both stared at him for a moment, as if slowly processing what he'd said. Finally after about ten seconds of utter silence, Jack slowly slid off of the chair and hit the ground in a dead faint. The Doctor couldn't stop himself from bursting out laughing.

"What's so funny?" Rose's voice suddenly asked from the doorway, and they looked up to see her holding baby Zoë in her arms.

"Jill…she's…ah…hahaha!" the Doctor couldn't even get the words out, now doubling over with the laughter.

"I'm bloody pregnant, Rose, pregnant!" Jill supplied for him, still in a state of utter shock.

"Well," Rose began, looking back up at the hysterical Doctor. "Dunno what you're laughing about." She held up a slim white device in one hand, other still supporting Zoë. "'Cause I'm pregnant too."

The Doctor shortly followed Jack's demise to the floor.


	49. A Minty Flavoured Discomfort Part Two

**A/N: **Last chapter.

* * *

Chapter 49 – A Minty Flavoured Discomfort Part Two

Captain Jack Harkness was holding a cup of coffee in both hands, staring intently at the TARDIS kitchen wall with wide-eyes. Rose watched him from across the kitchen in vague amusement, taking the latest stack of toast to put in the rack in the centre of the table.

"Jack?" she asked, waving her hand infront of his face. No reply. He didn't even blink. That cup of coffee he was holding had to be stone cold by now. "Jack? Can you hear me?"

"Morning!" the Doctor's cheery voice suddenly came from the doorway, skipping into the kitchen and dropping into an available seat at the table. Rose stared at him in surprise.

"You're cheery."

"Why shouldn't I be?" the Doctor asked with a grin. "It's a beautiful day: the sun is shining brightly, the birds are singing their happy songs, the animals are bounding free though the fields …" – his eyes snapped to Jack sitting opposite who still hadn't even twitched – "…and Jack is in a catatonic state…"

Rose set down a cup of tea infront of the Time Lord as he leant forward, clicking his fingers infront of Jack's unresponsive eyes. Suddenly realisation dawned on him.

"Oh," he muttered. "Wasn't a dream, was it?"

Rose shook her head. He took the cup of tea into both hands, suddenly going completely rigid as his eyes began to gaze over. Rose leapt forward instantly and tapped him lightly on the cheek.

"Oh no you don't. Wake up."

He blinked, suddenly startled to find himself where he was. "What happened?"

"I'm pregnant, Doctor."

He went instantly rigid once more. Rose slapped him again, this time with meaning.

"It's okay Doctor, it's not bad! Mum will understand."

"No she really won't!" the Doctor replied in a voice too squeaky to be sane, setting the cup down to rub his wounded cheek. "I swore no more, she'll have my anatomy this time; knife straight from the kitchen!"

Rose resisted the urge to laugh. "It's okay, really. I don't mind. I actually wanted another one. I'll tell her. I think you'd better have a word with Jack though."

He nodded, accepting her brief peck of a kiss on his cheek before she left the room. He closely regarded Jack for a moment, wondering what the trigger word might be to get him out of this state.

"Shag?" he tried. Nothing. "Tongues?" Nothing. "Lust?" Nothing. "…Baby?" Jack instantly snapped out of his shock-state, blinking a few times before focusing on the Doctor. He frowned.

"Has she had it yet?" he asked, and the Doctor shook his head.

"Nope, still nine months to go."

"Oh God. I'm gonna have a baby, Doc. I'm gonna have a baby. I'm gonna have a little version of me running around pooing and screaming and crying and…I don't _want _a damn baby! This is bad Doctor, seriously, I mean, what the hell am I gonna do?!" He was getting more and more hysterical by the second. "I can't have a baby! Where would I keep it?!"

The Doctor got onto his feet, moving around the table to take the seat next to the ex-Time Agent. The Doctor pulled Jack's cold cup of coffee from his hands, setting it down on the table before pulling the human around to face him. "Okay, calm!" he commanded. "Jill and Rose are both pregnant. We are both in deep poo-poo. But we can sort this out-"

Then as if on cue, suddenly there came the distant sound of crying children in their ears.

Without a word, the Doctor got up out of the chair and made for the doorway. Almost automatically Jack pushed himself onto two feet and followed him, heading straight to the nursery were Lottie and Zoë currently dwelled. He gestured for Jack to handle Zoë and he moved to Lottie, taking her into both arms and holding her close. He hummed a gentle tune, pressing a kiss to her forehead. Gradually she began to quieten until her multicoloured eyes slipped closed, and started to sleep. He sat down in a handy chair, just holding the child protectively to his chest silently for a few moments. Jack watched carefully, having comforted Zoë.

"Maybe it wouldn't be so bad," he voiced his thoughts out loud. The Doctor looked up.

"What?"

Jack stared unblinkingly at Lottie and the Doctor for a moment, and the Doctor got that unnerving feeling of being assessed.

"Having a kid," Jack continued, moving his gaze from father and daughter to Zoë in his arms. "Holding your daughter is a great feelin', and it'd probably be even better with my own."

The Doctor nodded. "It is. It's like a priceless jewel created from part of yourself you must protect at all times. If anyone apart from you, Rose, Jill, Jackie, Howard, Sarah-Jane or Mickey laid a finger on any of my children without my consent I would not hesitate to rip them apart."

Jack raised his eyebrows, watching the Doctor set Lottie back down into her crib and move forward to receive Zoë.

"Glad I'm on your side then," he breathed. The Doctor grinned as he held Zoë, giving her a kiss before he set her too down in her own crib.

"For the record, if you're worried about where to stay you'd be welcome to live in the TARDIS with Rose and me," he said offhandedly, watching Zoë sleep for a few moments more. "There's plenty of space."

"Yeah, and mine would be able to grow up with yours," Jack said after a moment's pause. "Wow, if you had another daughter what would you name her?"

The Doctor thought for a moment. "Not really sure. I guess Rose will end up doing the naming anyway, not really my choice."

"Okay, if you name mine, I'll name yours. Deal?"

After a moment, the Doctor nodded. "Deal. If you can convince Rose and Jill, that is."

* * *

"…So mum, as you can see, it's not the Doctor's fault and I do want to have this child."

Well, Rose thought that went rather well. Her mother hadn't even looked at the Doctor yet. She was just glancing between Rose's face and her belly, as if trying to comprehend what she was telling her. Finally she turned to stare at the Doctor. He gave a small smile, and a wave. Her face began to darken and he instantly dived to scoop up Lottie, holding her out infront of Jackie. Lottie giggled, waving her arms about infront of her granny with a broad smile on her face.

"Just think of it Jackie," the Doctor began as Lottie started bouncing up and down in his grip. "Another little baby – just like this one!" and just to reinforce his point, Lottie burped, then giggled again.

Jackie paused for a moment, finally reaching out and taking the little girl from his hands.

"You're just lucky she's so cute Doctor," Jackie finally said, and the Doctor breathed out a sigh of relief. He was off the hook. "Is it a boy or girl?"

The Doctor glanced at Rose. "We don't know. We were going to scan Rose and Jill later together for that."

* * *

"Well, what is it?"

The change in Jack had been astounding – going from extreme shock to major excitement in the space of two hours. He was now jumping around the Infirmary like a child who'd had too many E-numbers, unable to wait to find out the gender of his baby. The Doctor almost felt like doing it himself. It was his fourth biological child, but the feeling never got old.

"Two seconds," the Doctor muttered, running the ultrasound device over Rose's womb for a few moments more. There was his baby, a blip of an embryo. "Okay Jack," he said, lifting the ultrasound device and setting it down on the side. "I can confirm the gender of your baby with my super-super technology."

"What is it?" Jack asked anxiously, bouncing on his heels.

"It's a little…" He held a pause, taunting Jack for a moment as the man infront of him slowly began to melt in a pool of expectancy. "…Girl!"

Jack punched the air with a whoop. "Hell yeah!" he cried, giving Jill a kiss of joy. After a moment his attention snapped back to the Doctor. "What's yours?"

The Doctor looked back to Rose and smiled. "It's another boy. Due in the standard nine months, this time."

"Perfect!" Jack turned around to Rose and Jill. "Me and the Doctor had a deal that we'd name each other's."

"Be my guest," Rose muttered, settling down on the examination table. Jill also nodded, slightly intrigued.

Jack turned to the Doctor. "Shoot."

"Dawn."

"Jack."

"What?!" the Doctor said in shock. "That wasn't part of the deal!"

Rose sniggered, resting her hand on her belly. "Good name, Jack. I like Jack."

"But…but…" the Doctor stammered in disbelief, "th-that's…"

"That's what you've gotta name him," Jack finished with a grin. "It was a deal, remember?"

The Doctor sighed, turning back to the embryo in Rose's womb. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry," he said seriously to it, and everyone laughed at him.

"But she's called Dawn," Jill said with a reassuring smile at the Doctor, "I like it."

"Jack and Dawn," the Doctor surmised, shaking his head in disbelief. "What a pair."

* * *

The Doctor had always had his uncertainties about having a family. He feared so much he would lose them all in a single swipe that every time danger lingered near them he'd throw himself infront of it, not wanting to be the one left alone. But he was a survivor – the Last of the Time Lords – watching blood and fire cascade around him as he stood alone on the hill…and he hated it.

Even now as he progressed to Jackie's flat along the balcony he was almost paranoid for the little girl Lottie in his arms. She was so tiny. She was his daughter. She was one of the six lights of his life, standing up there tall against Rose, the TARDIS, Rory, Zoë and the unborn Jack. He could lose any of them at any moment.

But he tried not to think about that.

Jackie was more than delighted to hear it was a boy. She began suggesting names straight away, before the Doctor muttered that they'd already named him Jack. Jackie instantly looked up at the Captain, giving a broad smile.

"Aww, that's nice isn't it, they named him after you!"

"You could say that…" Jack mused, raising a smile at the Doctor. The Doctor ignored him.

"And what's that little one's name?" Jackie asked, looking directly at Jill's invisible pregnancy.

"Dawn," Jack supplied. "The Doctor named her."

"Aww that's a nice name," Jackie commented.

"I like it, it's pretty," piped up Rory from next to his mother, holding her free arm. In the other she held Zoë, who was sleeping again. She really was extremely quiet for a baby, Lottie too. Rose wondered if Jack would cry as much as his brother did – with Rory she and the Doctor never got any sleep.

"You hungry?" Jackie asked suddenly, turning towards the Kitchen. "I was just 'bout to start dinner."

They all exchanged glances, nodding in approval. The Doctor walked over to the sofa with Lottie still in his arms, settling her down in his lap. Rory let go of Rose's hand and run over to the sofa, climbing up next to his father.

"Aah," Lottie said. The Doctor raised his eyebrows.

"So now you decide to talk. You took your time."

"Aah," she replied, burbling loudly.

"What d'you reckon what her first word'll be?" Rose wondered, sitting next to Rory on the sofa. Rory leant over and reached out to Zoë, finding her hand within the blankets. Zoë giggled. The Doctor shrugged, waving his finger infront of Lottie's face. She giggled, lifting her tiny hands to try and catch it.

"Banana?" he suggested.

"Ror," Zoë said quietly, and instantly all turned to face her. "Ror…Ror…"

Jack smiled. "I think she's tryin' to say Rory.

"Rory!" she burst out suddenly, "Ror-ry, Ror…Rory."

Everyone cheered, and Zoë just giggled.

The Doctor absently looked around the room, suddenly spotting a newspaper on the table – the exact one he'd been doing the crossword of two months ago before their wedding. Curiosity getting the better of him, he reached out and studied the half-finished crossword. He had only one left.

'A minty flavoured discomfort.'

His eyes widened.

"Polio!" he exclaimed, pointing out the clue to the girl in his lap. "Lottie, a minty flavoured discomfort is Polio!"

"Polio," she echoed perfectly.

"Oh God," Rose muttered, staring at the girl. "Her first word isn't…"

"Polio," Lottie repeated right on cue.

And just like that, the Doctor knew everything would be all right.

**The End**

* * *

**A/N: **Well, it wouldn't be a Ramble without the usual thanks at the end, so here we go: **The Reviewers. **As always. You're an awesome bunch of people, really you are, I LOVE YOU AL!! (Megahugs for everyone) Ahem, anyway. As I've told you a millions times before, no reviews is no story. I love every single one of my reviews and the reviewers for doing them. Thank you for supporting me, especially on this story, the longest I've ever done. I'm so happy you've stuck with me until the end so thank you all.

**The Teachers. **Probably first thanks go to Miss S, History, for not noticing I was writing something completely different on the laptops – most of that was chapter 44 and onwards. Then to Mrs. M, Science, another victim of the same. Then to Mrs. C, French, also another victim. Then to Mr. G, Maths, for being a completely boring so and so.

To all my teachers, whatever subject you teach I'm guaranteed to have zoned out of it. But my biggest ever thanks go to Mrs. H, English, whose let me do so much Doctor Who stuff for GCSE. English will ALWAYS be my favourite subject!

**Tardis-mole** you are amazing! I love all of your stories and you've helped me so much throughout the Ramble series :D At the time of posting this it is around two hours till Who premieres, and really hope your satellite signal stays on! You're a medical genius, all credit to you for those horrible gory injuries the Doctor acquired. **Moonbean** and **ZK** are also thanked for the help on the wedding; I seriously did not have a clue at the start!

Okay, let's try and tackle that idea of the forbidden word I always dread yet slightly hope people will say. _**Sequels.**_ (Agh! The devil speaks!) The Rambles have definitely come a long way since that rainy March day in '06 (Was it raining? Probably) where the thirteen-year-old me, quaking in her boots decided to launch a fic in the midst of the unnameable story I still loathe to this day. I always swore this would be a trilogy.

Oh God.

So what are you supposed to do when yet MORE ideas come flooding into your mind? I've had a ball! Throughout my broad range of school subjects many ideas have come to mind. I thought to myself, "the next one needs to lighten up a bit," and, "perhaps I should try and lay off the Doctor in the next one a bit…" and, "it's time for a dramatic change – does someone need to die?" are just a few to mention. But, as always, anything only gets written if someone wants it. I'll leave it there, let you lovely readers decide for yourself :D

I think I'm gonna shut up now 'cause this is getting longer than the chapter, but everyone have fun, if you're on holidays (like me :D) have a great holiday, and remember the sacred 6:20pm tonight!

Now I will go and read the three new Who books :D

Catch you later,

Lar


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